A Christmas to Remember
by hellogoodbye57
Summary: Booth and Brennan go to his parents' house for Christmas. Follows Glowing Bones. Not a case fic but plenty of fluff.
1. Chapter 1

So this is a continuation of my first Bones series which started with Buried Alive. It follows Glowing Bones and will probably be the last story I write in this series as I have another Bones series that I'm working on now. I wrote this awhile ago before I knew of most of Booth's family history from the show, so I made up my own history which doesn't mesh with the shows. If this bothers you, don't read it. And unlike my previous stories, this one is all fluff.

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Chapter 1

Seeley Booth glanced in the rearview mirror to see the two sleeping boys in the back of his car, smiling slightly to himself as the oldest turned slightly, finding a more comfortable sleeping position. At five, Parker was still in the stage of his life where every woman exclaimed over how cute he was (usually over his vehement objections). And with curly blond hair, deep brown eyes, and his father's handsome facial features, Booth definitely believed they had a point (though he would have used a different word to describe his son's appearance—cute was not exactly the most masculine adjective in the world).

Of course, the second boy in the car had his share of admirers. Aaron was only five months old and still in the chubby baby stage where every woman thought he was cute no matter what he looked like. Of course, Aaron certainly fit into the cute category. He was not biologically Booth's son, but Booth still held a certain fatherly pride when he looked at the infant. With bright blue eyes and his small button nose, Booth had a feeling that Aaron would be a heartbreaker when he grew older.

"Booth, you should keep your eyes on the road," the fourth occupant of the car reminded him. Booth's eyes flicked briefly to the road in front of him before focusing on the woman in the passenger's seat beside him despite her objections.

"There's no one out, Bones."

"Probably because it's five in the morning. But even if there is no one out, you should still pay attention to the road. There have been a number of days below freezing lately, so the roads are likely still icy in some places."

"Bones, I'll be fine."

She narrowed her eyes at him, the blue orbs glinting dangerously. Booth responded with an award winning smile, and her face softened slightly. Booth used the brief moment of relaxation to examine the soft curves of her face, once again admiring her beauty. Despite the softness of her features, however, Booth knew from experience that she was in no way a weak woman. Temperance Brennan could take care of herself. She did not need his or anyone else's help.

"Booth!" she shouted suddenly. He turned back to the road in enough time to see a sharp turn coming up. Swinging the wheel, he managed to turn the car in just enough time to stay on the road. Unfortunately, Brennan had been correct in her assessment of the road; his tires hit an icy patch, and he fishtailed for a moment. Forcing himself to remain calm, he steered into the skid, weaving back and forth between the lanes for a moment. Luckily, he had also been correct: there was no one out at that time. After a few terrifying seconds, he managed to bring the car back under his control and continued driving, his breathing only slightly faster than normal. Glancing back again, he was pleased to find that neither boy had awoken.

"I told you to keep your eyes on the road," Brennan chided.

"We're fine, Bones. It was just a minor mishap."

"If there was anyone coming the other way, we could have been killed!"

"I know, Bones, okay? I'm sorry. It won't happen again." As he spoke, he kept his eyes glued to the road, determined not to repeat his earlier mistake.

"Remind me again why it was necessary to be out so early," Brennan said.

"Because my parents live in Atlanta, and I want to be there at a reasonable hour tonight," Booth told her.

"But why are we going anyway?"

"Because it's Christmas and they're family. That's what you do on Christmas, Bones. You visit family." Booth sighed as he maneuvered the car around another tight turn, this time with complete control. It had been a long week—he had had three cases come through and had been working his butt off for the past two days to finish up all the paperwork before he took off for the Christmas holidays.

"But it's not Christmas," Brennan pointed out logically. "It's only December 22."

"Yes, but part of Christmas with my family is spending the days around Christmas with them, too," Booth told her.

"Then what am I doing here? I'm not your family."

"Course you are, Bones. You're the person I most want to spend Christmas with."

That statement compelled her into a contemplative silence as she considered Booth's words and their implications.

Seven hours later, they were still on the road heading south. Now that it was later in the day, there were considerably more cars out, but luckily, traffic was still moving well. Parker and Aaron had both woken up by that time, and Parker had begun to complain of hunger. "Okay, bub, just give me a minute to find someplace to eat," Booth told his whining son. His eyes scanned the sign for the upcoming exit, and he was pleased to find that it had a number of fast food places. "Tacos or burgers?" Booth questioned as he turned on his blinker and merged into the exit lane.

"Burgers," Brennan answered immediately.

"Burgers," Parker parroted. Booth smiled at him. Since Parker had begun living with him and Brennan, he had become much closer to "Dr. Bones" than Booth had believed was possible. Parker worshipped Brennan, and Booth could clearly see why. His son certainly could certainly have chosen a worse hero.

"Burger King it is then," Booth announced, pulling into the left hand lane. A few seconds later, he was turning into the Burger King parking lot with Parker bouncing up and down in the back seat and Aaron gurgling happily from his car seat.

When they walked into the Burger King, Booth excused himself to use the restroom. "Parker, do you need to go, too?" he questioned. The small boy shook his head.

"Uh-uh. I wanna stay here with Dr. Bones." He grabbed Brennan's hand possessively.

"Okay. You'll have to go before we leave though." Parker nodded, and Booth turned to Brennan. "Just go ahead and order me a number 1," he told her, placing a short kiss on her lips.

"Will do," she promised, turning to the counter.

When Booth returned from the restroom, Brennan and Parker had just started ordering. He stood back for a moment, watching with a small smile as his partner and son interacted. Parker had ordered his usual—chicken nuggets, and the smiling lady behind the counter had asked him what he would like to drink. "Root beer," he announced proudly, feeling adult-like.

"I don't think so," Brennan told the small boy. "You don't need the caffeine and sugar. Besides, you haven't yet had enough milk today."

"But Dr. Bones," Parker began, sticking out a pouting lip.

"You know the rules, Parker."

"Fine. I'll have the nasty milk," he agreed. Then, slightly more brightly, he added, "It'll make me big and strong like Daddy, right Dr. Bones?"

Brennan turned from the cashier who had just finished taking their order, always happy for a chance to explain something scientific to the small boy. "Exactly, Parker. Milk has a lot of calcium which is a major component of bones. It's especially important when you're still growing and your bones are still forming."

Parker paused, seeming to consider her words for a moment. "Okay," he finally agreed. Booth chose that moment to appear behind them, placing an arm around Brennan's shoulder and a kiss on her temple. Parker launched into a discussion about the video game he had been playing on his DS, and Booth and Brennan half-listened as they waited for their food.

Once everyone had been fed and Booth had taken Parker to the bathroom (despite the young boy's insistence that he did not have to go), they hit the road again. As they passed into South Carolina a short while later, Booth glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "We're making good time," he announced. "We might even make it by dinner." Brennan looked up at him from a file she was reading.

"That's nice," she told him. He looked over at her and immediately saw what had distracted her.

"Bones, I thought we agreed not to bring work."

"We never agreed to anything. You said that we shouldn't be doing work when we're with your family, but we're not with your family right now. Besides, I never got a chance to finish all the work I needed to because you wanted to leave three days early. There are still a number of things I have to do."

"There are always a number of things you have to do, Bones."

"People all over the world ask me for help. Do you want me to just deny them?"

"Of course not, Bones. I'm just saying that it won't hurt you to take some time off once in awhile."

"I am taking time off."

"You're still working."

Brennan sighed, placing the folder aside. "Fine. I'm not working now. Happy?"

"Ecstatic, Bones."

"What does that mean, Daddy?" Parker piped up from the back. Booth glanced in the rearview mirror at his son to see that the small boy had set aside his game and was focused intently on the conversation between the adults in front of him.

"It means very happy, Parker," Booth explained.

"Oh. I'm extasic that Dr. Bones isn't workin', too."

"Ecstatic," Booth corrected gently. Parker nodded, repeating the word quietly to himself in an attempt to memorize its pronunciation.

"So now what am I supposed to do, Booth?" Brennan asked.

"You can talk to me."

"For the rest of the trip."

"Sure. Why not?"

"What are we supposed to talk about?"

"Whatever you want."

"Well, I was reading an interesting article on Peru the other day-"

"One stipulation. It can't have anything to do with work."

"Why not?"

"Because we're on vacation. Now is the time to relax and forget about work."

"I can't forget about work."

"Just try, Bones. For me."

"Fine. You come up with a topic then."

"Okay. Let's get a dog."

"What?"

"I think we should get a dog."

"Why?"

"Because I've always wanted a dog. My parents would never let me get one when I was younger because they said it was too much work."

"It is a lot of work."

"I'm sure we can handle it."

They spent nearly an hour debating the pros and cons of owning a dog before moving on to discussing Booth family Christmas traditions and then to swapping stories about their past. Around 5:00, Booth finally pulled off the interstate and turned his attention back to the road to look for familiar landmarks. Parker had woken up from his nap by this time, and he now had his face eagerly pressed against the window, instinctively knowing where they were. Ten minutes after exiting the interstate, Booth pulled up a steep driveway outside a moderate-sized house in a pleasant neighborhood. The yard looked to be newly-mowed, and the gardens out front were colorful and well-tended. Three other cars were already crowded into the driveway, so Booth chose to pull his SUV up to the curb in the street. Parker was squirming in his car seat, and it took Booth a few seconds to calm him down enough that he could unbuckle the seat belt. As soon as he did, Parker shot out of the seat, and Booth grabbed his hand to keep him from running off to the house without him. Brennan came around from the other side of the car carrying Aaron's carseat.

"Let's go, Bones," Booth said, starting forward with Parker straining against his hand, trying unsuccessfully to speed his father up. When they reached the door, Parker jumped at the doorbell button, and Booth finally took pity on him and lifted him up so that he could depress the button. Booth sensed Brennan tensing beside him as the echoes of the doorbell sounded throughout the house, and he grabbed her hand comfortingly. She turned to him and gave him a small smile which appeared rather pained. Before Booth could say anything to reassure her, the door swung open, revealing a woman in her early sixties with chestnut brown hair that had just started to grey. Her chocolate brown eyes were so similar to Booth's own that for a moment, Brennan imagined that she was staring into her partner's eyes. But the curves of the woman's face were distinctly feminine, and her frame was smaller and more frail than her son's. Additionally, she had a few wrinkles on her face though overall, age had been remarkably kind to her.

"Seeley!" the woman exclaimed, enveloping Booth in a hug. Booth released Parker's hand to return the embrace, and Parker immediately grabbed onto his grandmother's legs.

"Granny!" he shouted excitedly, still bubbling with enthusiasm.

"How's my favorite five-year-old?" the woman, who Brennan assumed was Booth's mother (Jennie, if she remembered correctly) questioned.

"Good. Specially now that we're out of the car." Booth chuckled at this comment; his son had never been the most patient person in the world. As Jennie released Parker, she turned to Brennan and Aaron, so Booth took the opportunity to introduce them.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Temperance Brennan. And she's holding our foster son, Aaron. He's five months old." Brennan looked at him quickly when she heard him refer to Aaron as "our foster son." Technically, Aaron was only her foster son; legally, Booth had no rights to him. And yet Booth had been through just as much with Aaron as she had. In many ways, Aaron did belong to both of them no matter what the law said. He was truly their son. A few months before, such a realization would have scared her to death, but now Brennan realized that caring for a baby with another person was not as bad as she might have first imagined. Especially if that other person was Booth.

"It's nice to meet you, Temperance," Jennie said, shaking Brennan's hand. "I've heard so much about you from Seeley. And I love your books."

"Thank you." Brennan gave a firm handshake. As she released the older woman's hand, Aaron began to cry. Brennan glanced down at him and then looked to Booth. "It's been a few hours since we changed him," she pointed out.

"Yeah, you want me to take him?"

"I've got him."

"No, don't worry about it, you two. Go introduce Temperance to the rest of the family, Seeley, and I'll take care of the little one," Jennie said, lifting Aaron from the carseat. Brennan glanced at Booth who gave a slight shrug that clearly said, "There's no way you're going to win this, so you might as well give up now." Turning back to Jennie, Brennan passed her the diaper bag, and the older woman disappeared up the stairs, cooing to the baby.

"You ready to meet the Booths?" Booth questioned. Brennan was silent for a moment, listening to the cacophony of noise in the next room. Booth noticed her trepidation and smiled. "Don't worry, their bark is worse than their bite."

"They bite?"

Booth laughed. "It's an expression, Bones. It means they sound worse than they are. Though you might want to watch out for Maddie. She was a pretty scrappy fighter when we were younger. Probably comes from having two older brothers." Placing his arm around Brennan's shoulders, Booth led her into the living room with Parker skipping ahead of them. As soon as they entered the room, Parker ran to a blond man in the corner of the room, holding his arms out excitedly. "Uncle Jared!" he called, throwing himself at the man. Jared chuckled at his nephew.

"How's it going, little man?" he asked.

"Good. I don't have school this week," Parker announced.

"Always a plus," Jared agreed. Parker released him and turned to the dark-haired woman standing a few feet to Jared's left. "Aunt Maddie!" Maddie was met with the same enthusiastic greeting from her nephew. Booth watched the exchange, his eyes alight with amusement. After Parker had finished his greetings, Booth decided it was time for introductions.

"Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Bones, that guy in the corner is my father Jack. Then there's my older brother Jared as you might have guessed. Standing next to him is his wife Hilary and their three kids are over in the corner there. Michael's nine, Kaylie is six, and Lily is four. On Jared's other side is my younger sister Maddie and her husband Mark. They have two kids-Stephen's three and Rachel is nine months." Brennan nodded slowly as he finished the introductions, committing the many names to memory.

"Bones?" Jared asked, raising an eyebrow. Brennan noticed immediately that he looked a lot like Booth from the strong curve of the jaw to the well-proportioned facial features. Of course, he was not quite as well-proportioned as Booth; his nose seemed slightly too large for his face, and his mouth was no more than a thin slit across the bottom of his face.

"It's a nickname," Booth explained. "She works with bones."

"I work with taxes," Mark pointed out. "That doesn't mean I let people call me taxes."

"He has a point," Brennan remarked, turning to Booth. "There is no rational reason for you to call me Bones even if I do work with bones. It would seem-"

"No lectures this weekend, Bones, please," Booth told her, holding up a hand to stop the flow of words coming from her mouth. Surprisingly, she stopped talking.

"So, Seeley, it's been awhile since you brought a girl home," Maddie remarked, sweeping her thick, curly hair out of her face. Though Brennan could see the similarities between her and the Booth boys, she definitely bore a stronger resemblance to her mother.

"It certainly has. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever settle down," Jack remarked, pushing himself out of his chair to approach the threesome (for Parker had rejoined his father and "Dr. Bones").

"Can we please not discuss this now, Dad?" Booth pleaded, glancing nervously at Brennan. He knew her feelings about marriage very well. Luckily, she appeared not to understand what his father was talking about; her face had not yet adopted the expression that he knew portended a lecture about how marriage was nothing more than an archaic ritual designed to prevent women from ever being able to achieve anything. Booth was not ready for that argument yet. He wanted Brennan to make a good impression on his family first so that maybe they would realize that one of the greatest things about her was her unique quirks, just as he had done.

"Temperance Brennan. I recognize that name," Hilary said thoughtfully. "Wait a second, you're not the Temperance Brennan who writes the mystery novels, are you?

"I am," Brennan confirmed.

"Oh my God, I love your work. Though there could be less crime and bones and stuff in them." Hilary frowned, and Booth sighed. He had never particularly liked Hilary, for her intelligence left something to be desired. But she and Jared somehow did well together, and Jennie loved Hilary because she was the model Catholic wife—she stayed home all day with the kids, cooking and cleaning, she spent her spare time sewing and gardening, she threw cocktail parties a couple times a year (Booth had been cordially invited to all of them and had cordially declined every invitation), and she made sure the entire family went to church every Sunday.

"But that's what they're about," Brennan said confusedly. "The plot is Kathy and Andy solving the murders. Of course crime and bones will play a major role."

"I know. It's just that the crime and bones are so boring. I like the romance."

"Then why would you read a mystery novel?" Brennan questioned, confused.

"You know what, Bones? I think your books are perfect the way they are," Booth told her, attempting to end the conversation quickly.

"Nothing's perfect, Booth."

"You know what I mean," Booth said.

"So when are we going to see your next one?" Hilary questioned, oblivious to the conversation between the two partners. Brennan turned back to her, frowning.

"I don't really know. I've been really busy with work lately."

"Ooh, do you think you can sign one of my copies?"

Brennan looked to Booth, her eyes silently pleading for help. Immediately, Booth intervened. "Actually, we should probably go check on Mom now," Booth remarked. "There's one more person I want you guys to meet."

"Actually, Mom's right here." Jennie walked into the living room, carrying Aaron who was still whimpering. "He was wet, but changing him didn't seem to calm him down much."

"I'll take him, Mom," Booth told her, holding out his arms. Jennie passed the baby to her son, and Booth cuddled him against his chest. Immediately, Aaron quieted, and he buried his face in the fabric of Booth's shirt. Turning back to the family, Booth announced, "This is Aaron. He's our foster son."

"Foster son?" Jared raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"His mother was. . . one of our cases," Booth said quietly. "We found him during the investigation, and we fell in love with him. We couldn't let him get lost in the system." He glanced over at Brennan whose eyes were focused intently on the ground. Stepping closer, he used the hand not holding Aaron to grab hers, entwining their fingers together. It was his way of reminding her that he was there for her and always would be. She responded by stepping even closer to him so that their sides were pressing together.

"Well, he certainly seems to be very taken with you," Jack remarked.

"Who isn't?" Booth inquired with a smirk.

"It's that old Booth charm smile," Jared added, causing the whole family to burst out into laughter, the earlier discomfort of discussing Aaron's parenthood forgotten. Brennan looked around her in amazement, surprised that the tension in the room could be dispelled so quickly. She supposed that this was one of the things Booth was talking about when he spoke of the "magic" of families.

As the laughter subsided, Maddie remarked, "Well, he's adorable, Seeley."

"Thanks. We're fairly fond of him." Booth released Brennan's hand to tickle the infant, and Aaron gurgled happily. Brennan and Booth smiled.

"Enjoy all the time you have," Hilary told him. "They grow up fast."

"Don't I know it." Booth glanced at Parker who was tugging on Brennan's pants leg.

"Dr. Bones, come play with me," he begged. After spending so much time with Parker, Brennan did not even glance at Booth before nodding.

"Okay, Parker, what are we playing?" Booth smiled at her response; over the past month, she had become much more comfortable around Parker. Parker loved her, and Booth knew that she also loved him. They shared a unique bond that Booth could not even begin to comprehend. There were secrets that Parker refused to share with Booth, choosing only to tell Brennan. Of course, Booth did not mind this attitude too much. He was happy his girlfriend was bonding with his son.

"We're playing superheroes," Parker declared. "You can be Xena, and I'll be Superman. Daddy, where's my cape?" he questioned, referring to a small red blanket that Booth had helped him modify so that it resembled a cape.

"In the bag, Bub," Booth told him, pointing as he settled onto the couch, still holding Aaron. Brennan remained standing, waiting for Parker to return with the desired article of clothing. She no longer had to ask who Xena or Superman was though it had been interesting to hear Parker attempt to explain the characteristics of the superheroes the first time. Parker found the cape after a few moments of searching and returned to Brennan, grabbing her hand. "Come on, Dr. Bones, let's go." He led her into the corner of the room, and the two settled down to play.

"He seems to adore her," Jennie observed, watching the two interact.

"We both do," Booth said with a smile. Aaron made a small sound. "Okay, all three of us do," Booth corrected. Jennie smiled at them.

"It's nice to see you content."

"It's nice to be content," Booth agreed.

"Wow, big brother, I don't think I've seen you so smitten with anyone before," Maddie observed, watching him as he stared at Brennan and Parker.

Booth shrugged. "There's never been anyone like Bones before."

"It's still weird that you call her Bones," Jared said. "It just doesn't seem intimate."

"It's intimate in its own way," Booth told him. "Trust me, if I ever tried to call Bones sweetheart or hon or something like that, she would kick my ass."

"Wait, you're actually admitting that a woman can kick your ass, Mr. Macho FBI I-can-kill-people-with-my-bare-hands?" Maddie questioned.

"It's not just any woman. It's Bones."

"If you say so," Jared remarked. At that moment, the sound of small feet announced the arrival of another Booth. All the adults in the room turned to see a small brunette boy enter the room, his hair bouncing on his head. He skidded to a stop in front of Maddie, reaching out to grab her leg and steady himself.

"Mommy, I'm up from my nap now!" he announced needlessly. "And da baby is, too, but she isn't cryin'."

Maddie sighed. "You didn't wake her, did you, Steven?"

He shook his head emphatically. "Uh-uh. She woke up all on her own.

"Okay. I'll go get her then." Maddie pushed herself out of her chair and started out of the room. Having told his mother his news, Steven turned to Booth.

"Uncle Seeley!" he exclaimed, rushing toward him.

"Hey, rugrat!" Booth said, extending his arm, an invitation for Steven to climb up onto the couch beside him. "How have you been?"

"Good. Who's dat?" Steven wrinkled his nose up as he pointed at Aaron who still rested in Booth's left arm, his eyes heavy with sleep.

"This is Aaron."

"Is he your baby?"

"He is for the time being," Booth said.

"Oh. We have a baby, too. Wanna see?"

"I've met your baby," Booth told the small boy with a chuckle.

Steven leaned over conspiratorially. "She doesn't do much. And she kinda smells. But Mommy says when she gets bigger, she'll play more."

"Your mommy's right."

"Mommy's always right."

"Exactly," Maddie told her son, reentering the room with Rachel in her arms.

"See, Mommy, I told you she was up," Steven announced proudly, climbing off the couch to join his cousins and Brennan. Still smiling, Booth also slid off the couch and joined his partner, son, and nieces, and nephews on the floor, taking the time to make introductions.


	2. Chapter 2

Again, Booth's family history is different than the one they give in the show because I wrote this before watching those episodes. And I don't own anything.

After an hour or so, Jennie announced that dinner was ready, and everyone began shuffling out of the living room. Maddie passed Rachel to Mark before taking Parker and Steven to the bathroom to wash up for dinner. At dinner, Parker insisted on sitting between Booth and Brennan, so Brennan ended up next to Maddie. Brennan did not truly mind these seating arrangements; Maddie seemed like a nice enough woman, fairly down-to-earth as far as Brennan could tell. The dinner began with Jennie asking about Jared's job (Brennan discovered that Booth's brother worked for the government though she was never clear on his exact job. She knew it had something to do with defense, but a good portion of the government had to do with defense. She made a mental note to ask Booth later). After Jared, Jennie moved on to questioning Booth, who gave only perfunctory answers before telling his mother that his job did not make good dinner conversation. Next came Mark, for Brennan discovered that Maddie actually stayed home with her kids. She looked to Booth when Mark mentioned this, and he shrugged. While Brennan could never simply stay home with the kids, this position fit his sister.

Finally, Jennie turned to Brennan. "So, I hear you work with Seeley," she said.

"Yes. I help out with remains that are too decomposed to be identified by conventional means," Brennan said candidly.

"That sounds. . . lovely," Jennie remarked with a grimace.

"Actually, it's far from it. Most of the remains we receive have little to no flesh, so-"

"She didn't mean that literally, Bones," Booth whispered fiercely, leaning across Parker to cut off his partner before she said something that would ruin everyone's appetite. Hilary and Mark already looked a little green. Parker was listening, fascinated as always, and Maddie seemed somewhat interested. Jack was staring vaguely at something across the kitchen, a common occurrence as he rarely became involved in dinner conversations. Jennie was staring curiously at Brennan.

"What Bones means is that our job is far from easy, but at the end of the day, we catch the killer, and that's all that matters."

"I can speak for myself, Booth."

"I know, Bones. I was just clarifying."

"You don't always need to clarify."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Now can we please drop this?"

"I'm surprised you two can work together," Jared remarked, hearing them interact.

"Sometimes, it is difficult," Booth admitted.

"But not impossible. It's actually been proven that debating is extremely conducive to a work environment. Well, well-informed debating anyhow. When two people take different sides of a case, it can help them both to see things a little differently."

"A valid argument as always, Bones," Booth conceded. "So, Jared, I guess in answer to your question, it might be difficult, but it makes us a better team."

"You're doing it again, Booth."

"Doing what?"

"Speaking for me."

"So-orry, Bones."

Parker rolled his eyes at this, and Maddie looked at him with a smile. "Do they do this often?" she asked her young nephew.

"All the time," Parker said, nodding. Everyone at the table laughed.

Halfway through dinner, Aaron began to fuss, and Brennan excused herself to tend to him. As soon as she left the room, Jennie turned to her younger son. "Seeley, are you sure that she's good for you?" Jennie queried, remembering the last girl that her son had brought home. His relationship with Rebecca had not ended well. It had, however, produced the adorable boy sitting next to him.

"She's too good for me," Booth said honestly.

"Don't get me wrong here, I'm sure she's a great woman. I'm just wondering if she's the right woman for you. You two seem to have very different personalities."

"That's what makes us work. She's the brains of our relationship. She's probably one of the smartest people I've ever met, but she's stupid when it comes to street smarts. So I'm there to provide that aspect. Trust me, Mom, it works."

"I hope so, Seeley. I really do."

At Jennie's insistence, Booth and Jared washed the dishes after dinner while the others retreated to the living room. Jack and Mark immediately turned on the television and soon became engrossed in a game of football. Maddie rolled her eyes at them, turning to the women. "Guys and sports," she said, patting Rachel's back. The small baby rested on her shoulder, her eyelids heavy after eating.

Brennan opened her mouth to explain the anthropological significance of sports and why it appealed to the males of the species, but she suddenly remembered Booth's warning earlier that week. He had asked, or more accurately begged, that she avoid squint speak if at all possible while they were staying with his family. Though Brennan was not entirely sure what he meant by squint speak, she had a feeling that the comment she nearly made would definitely qualify. So instead of responding, she kept her mouth shut, allowing Hilary to make some inane comment about some guy she had dated who had played basketball. Somehow, this comment sparked previous relationship stories, and Brennan soon found herself privy to more than she ever wanted to know about the past lives of the women around her.

"What about you, Temperance?" Jennie queried.

"I'm sorry?" In an attempt to drown out Booth's relatives, Brennan had turned her focus to the television. She had quickly become fascinated by the players on the screen. It was almost as if they had reverted to their old, carnal behavior. She found it funny how after so many years of evolution, people still seemed to revert to primal behavior as if man had never left their caves.

"We were just talking about relationships we regret," Maddie said.

"Oh." They were silent for a minute and Brennan quickly caught on. "You want me to tell you about a relationship I regret," she deduced. They nodded. "There were a couple in college I could have down without. But they weren't really relationships. Well, I guess that depends on your definition of relationship. . ." Luckily, Brennan was saved from continuing by Booth's arrival. He and Jared were arguing fervently about something, only stopping when they saw the football game on television.

"Falcons, Dad, seriously?" Booth questioned. "I didn't think moving to Atlanta would corrupt you quite so much."

"Nothing says I like the Falcons," Jack retorted. "This just happened to be the only game I could find." Hearing his father's voice, Parker emerged from the corner carrying a large, hardback book.

"Daddy, can we read?" he questioned. Booth looked down at his son with a smile.

"Sure, Bub," he agreed, ruffling Parker's hair. "It's not like I'll be watching football anyway," he added under his breath.

"Is he reading now?" Jennie questioned.

"Yeah, I've been working with him on reading and math. And Bones has science covered, so we'll have a squint on our hands before long."

"I thought you agreed not to call us that," Brennan reminded him.

"Sorry. Slip of the tongue." His wide grin, however, betrayed that the so-called slip was anything but that. Brennan glared at him, but his grin never faltered. "Feel like reading with us, Bones?" he asked. Brennan glanced at the women around her, still waiting expectantly to hear about her past love life.

"Okay." Brennan joined father and son on the large, comfortable sofa in the Booth living room. Booth placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and simultaneously pulling Parker, who was sandwiched between them, closer, too. Booth's other arm supported Aaron who was yawning contentedly, now full and warm. All in all, the four made the picture-perfect family, a revelation which would have sent Brennan running for the door a few months before. And while she still had her doubts about her ability as a mother and about her ability to live in a traditional family, she was learning, with Booth's help (and some from Angela, too), to work through those doubts and refrain from immediately dismissing the idea of a family.

By the time Parker finished his third story, Booth was fast asleep, his head bent so that it was resting on Brennan's shoulder. Aaron was also asleep on Booth's own shoulder, his small, slightly wheezy snores in stark contrast to the deep rumbling of Booth's breathing. "He seems to be all tuckered out," Jennie observed, watching her sleeping son.

"It was a long drive today," Brennan said, her hand automatically reaching out to rest on his head as she gently ran her fingers through his soft hair. It was a sentimental gesture that Brennan would never have thought about performing before she met Booth. But something was different about her relationship with Booth. She was closer to Booth than she had ever been to anyone in her life yet for some reason, she did not feel the familiar desire to run. Because Booth was different than anyone else. When everyone else around her had left, when the entire world seemed to be changing, he had remained. He was her constant, the person she knew she could always rely upon. She was comfortable with Booth, comfortable with the intimacy they shared. It was an odd feeling to have after so many failed relationships, but Brennan was slowly growing accustomed to it. Booth understood her; he knew her wishes, her desires, and he accepted her for who she was, faults and all. Nobody understood her like he did, just as she understood him, and she imagined that it was this complete knowledge of one another that allowed them to work well together both professionally and romantically. Always before, Brennan had felt that she had to change part of herself to be in a relationship, but with Booth, she found that she could be exactly who she was. It was this fact more than anything else that made her comfortable with their intimacy.

"He wouldn't let you drive, huh?" Jennie smiled at the younger woman, and Brennan returned the smile with a nod. "It runs in the family. Jack's the same way."

"Jared does it, too," Hilary remarked from the chair beside Jennie. "But I don't really mind that much. He's really such a gentleman. He holds the door open for me and buys me flowers and is always checking to make sure I'm okay."

"Jared has always been such a sweet boy," Jennie agreed.

"And he's so successful, too," Hilary added.

"Definitely. But Jared has always been successful. He did very well in school; did you know he was actually the valedictorian of his high school and graduated fifth in his class from Brown? He got a track scholarship there," Jennie informed the two.

"He mentioned that. But only because I asked him about it. He never brings it up on his own," Hilary told them.

"Yes, Jack and I have always had high hopes for Jared. He was our golden boy. And he's done exceptionally well so far; he's got a good career and is on his way to the top, and he's got a wonderful family." She smiled at Hilary, and Brennan felt an inexplicable need to defend Booth. Though Jennie had not directly attacked her partner, the small glance she sent Booth's way as she sang Jared's praises gave Brennan a fairly clear idea of Jennie's feelings.

"Booth is very successful, too," Brennan cut in. "We have one of the highest solve rates at the Bureau."

"I'm sure you do, dear," Jennie remarked, watching her son sleep with a look that Brennan could only describe as sadness. "Sometimes, I wish he would just settle down though, start a family. I wish he would find a more stable job, one which didn't require so much travel and where he didn't have to risk getting shot every day.."

"Booth is good at what he does," Brennan argued.

"I know, but kids should not be raised in a household where they have to wonder every day if their father will return home that night."

"Booth's a wonderful father. He cares deeply for both Parker and Aaron. And that's what really matters." Brennan did not know exactly where her words were coming from. She supposed she had been spending too much time around Booth; she was starting to talk about emotions and families. That had always been his territory.

"All right, dear, whatever you say," Jennie said dismissively before engaging Hilary in a conversation about Michael's exploits at school. Slightly annoyed now, Brennan shook Booth awake. He blinked a couple times, slowly taking in his surroundings. Once he realized where he was, he raised his head to look at her.

"Booth, can we talk somewhere?" she inquired. His dark brown eyes searched hers piercingly for a moment, trying to discern what she wanted.

"Okay," he finally agreed a bit guardedly. Glancing down at Parker who could barely keep his eyes open, he added, "Let's put these two to bed first."

Brennan nodded in agreement, and he untangled himself from her before standing, still holding a snoozing Aaron. Brennan gathered Parker in her arms, lifting him effortlessly to follow Booth up the stairs. Booth pushed open a door at the end of the hallway, revealing a small room painted dark blue. "We're in my old room," he explained. "There's twin beds and a trundle for Parker. Mom already set the crib up in here for Aaron, too." He pointed to the crib which was wedged in a corner. Since the trundle bed had also been pulled out, there was little space to walk in the room.

"Twin beds?" Brennan questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"Catholic, remember?" Booth said, setting Aaron carefully in the crib. He stood over the baby for a moment, running a hand gently over his head. Aaron gurgled and curled up tighter. With a small smile, Booth pulled the blanket tighter around the infant and turned on the baby monitor on the dresser next to the crib. When he had finished, he took the other baby monitor and clipped it to his jeans before turning back to Brennan. She had already tucked Parker in, and Booth took the time to place a gentle kiss on his forehead before placing his arm around Brennan and leading her from the room. "Let's take a walk. It's not too cold outside right now, and it'll give us a chance to talk in private."

"Sounds good," Brennan agreed. Together, they walked from the room, shutting the door gently behind them. Booth did not bother returning to the living room to tell his mother where they were going; instead, he steered Brennan to the front door, and the two left.


	3. Chapter 3

A comfortable silence descended over them as they ambled slowly away from the house. After a couple minutes, Brennan finally spoke, unable to contain herself any longer. "You're not a failure, Booth," she told him.

Booth glanced at her curiously. "Thanks, Bones, I guess."

"I don't want a traditional family. I like the way things are. I don't want to get married or have more kids," she said quickly.

"I know that, Bones." Booth stopped, taking Brennan's hand so that she would stop with him. Gently, he pulled her to him, moving his hands to her shoulders once she was standing directly in front of him. She looked up at him, and blue met brown. "Where is all this coming from, anyway?" he queried, his warm breath washing over her face because of the nearness of their bodies. Brennan shivered slightly.

"I was talking to your mother earlier."

Booth sighed. "And she gave you the whole 'Jared's a perfect angel, and I just don't understand why Seeley doesn't live up to his full potential' speech?"

"It wasn't exactly that, but it was pretty close."

"Mom's been giving that speech since we were little. As far as she is concerned, the only way to do well in this world is to have a well-paying desk job and a doting wife with a houseful of kids. I've told her time and time again that that's not what I want, but she refuses to accept it. Doesn't matter, really. Jared's always been the favorite, even when we were little. I doubt that anything I did would allow me to live up to his example in her eyes."

Brennan saw the anger flash in his eyes as he spoke, and she felt a similar anger come to life in her gut. "Booth, you know none of that is true. You're a better person than Jared could ever hope to be."

Booth scoffed. "Not until I have the high-paying, top-secret government job, 2.5 kids, and a nice house in the suburbs."

"You don't need that to be a good person. Booth, look at me." Brennan enforced her words by taking his face between her hands and turning it so that they were facing one another. Seeing the firm set of his jaw, she knew he was upset. She may not have been good at reading people, but she could read him. She supposed this ability was only natural after working together so long. "You don't have to be your brother to be successful," Brennan told him firmly. "There are so many things about you, Booth, that make you better than he is. That's why I love you. You're a devoted father, and you consistently put others before yourself. Your mother may not approve of your job, but you spend each and every day protecting the people of this country, ensuring that justice is served. And that is more important than any top-secret government job ever could be. As for the accusation that it's dangerous, danger is inevitable in life. I wonder if your mother knows how many people die in car wrecks each year. It's appallingly high." This comment elicited a small smile from Booth. "And the danger just makes your job more admirable. You put your life on the line to save the lives of others. I bet Jared can't say that he does that. And despite everything you have to face on a daily basis, you still come home with a smile on your face to play with your kids. And you don't adhere to those ridiculous gender roles that your mother seems so concerned with; you're perfectly willing to help with child rearing and with the chores around the house."

"Don't say that too loud, Bones, or people might get the wrong idea about who wears the pants in our relationship," Booth remarked, still smiling slightly.

"We both wear pants," Brennan pointed out, a look of confusion on her face.

"It's an expression, Bones. It means—you know what, that doesn't really matter right now. Come here." Suddenly, his arms were around her, pulling her body flush against his as his lips pressed insistently on hers. Brennan's eyes slid shut as she eagerly returned the kiss, allowing the passion and intensity that that was so ubiquitous in their relationship to overtake her. Her fingers moved to his hair, weaving themselves though the soft locks. His hands slid down her back, briefly caressing her sides before coming to rest on her hips. She leaned farther into him as his tongue pushed its way into her mouth, enjoying the warmth of his body. His fingers traced small circles on her hip bone, leaving trails of fire even through the fabric of her jeans. She felt her desire building.

The heated make out session continued for a few minutes before Booth's lips left Brennan's, slowly making their way over her jaw to her neck. She felt his teeth against her skin and moaned lightly. Satisfied with this response, he continued his attack of that area, allowing both his teeth and tongue to glide over her soft skin. His hands had moved behind her, cupping her ass, and one of his legs had moved between her own so that she knew he could feel the heat of her desire just as she could feel evidence of his own desire pressing into her hip. They were standing so close that Brennan could feel the beating of his heart against her own chest. His pulse rate had quickened, and Brennan could feel the tempo of hers also increasing.

Eventually, Booth pulled back, remarking, "We should probably stop there before I do something that I would have to arrest myself for."

"I guess. Should we head back?"

"Not just yet. I uh. . . should probably cool down a bit first."

"Right." Together, they turned and began walking away from his parents' house.

"You know what's funny?" Booth questioned before quickly plowing on without waiting for her to respond. "I got so much crap in high school for my grades, and they weren't even that bad. Sure, Jared's were better, but only because he cheated his way through most of his classes. Except math. He was always good at math."

"He cheated?"

"Yep. I figured it out my freshman year; it wasn't really hard. Most of the school knew it actually, but everyone loved Jared, so no one ever said anything. I'd be willing to bet he cheated his way through college, too, but I don't have any proof." Booth let out a long breath. "Not that it matters anyway. No one would ever believe me if I told. After all, Jared was perfect, and I was a screw-up." He kicked a small stone in front of him, and it slid across the icy pavement.

"I don't think you're a screw-up."

He flashed her a 1000-watt smile. "Thanks, Bones. You know, for someone who claims she's not good with emotions, you sure know the right things to say."

"Only to you."

"I like the sound of that." He focused on the ground again and laughed suddenly. "You know, cheating wasn't even the worst of it. He used to party. A lot. I lost count of the number of times he came home completely wasted, and I would have to drag his ass into a bathroom and watch him puke his guts out, making sure that he didn't pass out and choke himself on his own vomit. Then I'd force him to drink some water and brush his teeth and put him to bed. Why? Because I worshipped him. He was my older brother. I looked up to the idiot." Brennan reached out and took his hand comfortingly. They walked in silence for a couple minutes. "He's cheating on his wife," Booth remarked suddenly.

"What?"

"Yeah, he called me a couple years ago, freaked out because he thought Hilary had found out. He was asking me what he should do. I told him he should stop being so stupid and hung up. He called me back a week later to tell me he had ended it and called me a horrible brother for not helping when he needed it." Booth snorted. "That's when I realized that it was time for me to stop worshipping the ground my brother walked on just because he was older and everybody else bowed down before him. I don't want to be him, Bones. I just wish sometimes that people would look at me in the same way they look at him."

"Booth, not everyone bows down before your brother."

"You should've grown up with us, Bones. Then you'd know."

"Seeley, I don't bow down before your brother." The use of his first name caught his attention, and he turned to look at her, his eyes finding her even in the dim light of the moon. "I could never look at you two the same way," Brennan continued. "Because I know that you are so much better than him. I love you, Seeley, and the more you talk about your brother, the more happy I am that I found you."

"You really are one of a kind, Bones," Booth remarked before pulling her into another passionate kiss. After a couple minutes, he pulled away. "Come on, Bones," he instructed, tugging her hand.

"Where are we going?"

"To do something I'll have to arrest myself for."

Later that night, Jared sat on his parents' porch sipping a cup of tea as he glanced over a magazine he had found. The kids had all long since fallen asleep, and the rest of his family had followed shortly after. But Jared had never been able to go to bed at a normal hour. All his life, he had been a night owl, and tonight proved to be no exception. This habit explained why at just past midnight, he was sitting on the porch, his eyes glossing over some frivolous magazine. But it did not explain why his little brother, who had traditionally been an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of guy, was walking toward the house with his arms around a beautiful woman.

As the couple passed under the shaft of light from the moon, Jared could make out their faces clearly for the first time. As he had expected, the woman Seeley's arms currently encircled was none other than the world-famous Dr. Temperance Brennan. Jared felt a small bubble of jealousy rise to the surface. He had no idea why he was jealous; after all, he had the picture perfect life: a beautiful wife, three beautiful children, a nice house, a great job. Yeah, to an outside observer, it seemed that Jared Booth had it all. But what an outside observer could not see was that Jared's marriage was rapidly falling apart, a condition that if he was being entirely truthful, he would admit he had brought on himself. He had chosen to ignore his wedding vows and take another woman into his bed. But he could not help it; he had simply grown bored. Hilary was beautiful and excellent at providing for him, but that was all she had going for her. She had no brains, no ability to hold an intelligent conversation, and Jared realized shortly after their marriage that though they could easily tolerate each other, there was no love between them. It was a marriage of convenience more than anything, something that would make his mother happy.

As Jared watched his younger brother and the renowned anthropologist, however, he realized that their relationship was anything but convenient. He knew his mother would never like her. She was too independent, too outspoken, hell, too intelligent, to make a good housewife. But he saw the look in his little brother's eye when he looked at her, and he knew that Seeley would choose her over his mother any day. And Jared could not blame his baby brother; the beautiful doctor was everything he ever wanted in a woman. She had it all: brains, beauty, strength, independence, and, from what Seeley had told him, a wicked right hook. But Jared could not defy his mother. He did not have the strength to do what Seeley had done, to choose someone so contrary to all his mother's wishes. But that did not stop him from wanting the good doctor, from wishing that he had his arms around her as they walked back from God knows where after midnight. For the first time in his life, Jared was jealous of his baby brother, and he hated the feeling.

With his mundane magazine forgotten, Jared watched Seeley lean over to whisper something in Temperance's ear as they grew closer. She leaned her head back and laughed, and Jared swore he had never seen a more beautiful sight. Her whole face seemed to light up when she laughed, creating its own glow that made it seem brighter than the moon. And it was his brother who did that. Damn him.

As they came a few feet closer, they suddenly noticed Jared who had quickly returned his eyes to the still-open magazine. Immediately, Brennan's face dimmed, and some of the mirth left her eyes. "Jared? What are you doing out here?" Booth questioned. Jared shrugged.

"I can't go to bed this early, and every room in the house seems to be taken up by sleeping people, so I thought I'd come out here. Where have you two been?"

"Around." Booth waved his hand vaguely, and Jared's eyes narrowed. They had been having sex; he could tell that now. They both had the distinct after-sex glow about them, and Brennan's hair was tousled. And now that he looked closer, Jared saw that their clothes were slightly disheveled as if they had hastily pulled them on.

"Doing what?" Jared inquired.

Booth gave him an infuriating smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Then, with Jared still sputtering incoherently behind them, they entered the house.

The next morning, Brennan woke to find a warm body pressed against her own. Opening her eyes, she saw Booth hovering next to her. Seeing that she was awake, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She had just begun to respond when the door swung open and Jared entered. "Mom wants you down for breakfast. Whoa!" he said, backing up when he saw their position.

"Try knocking," Booth suggested, pulling away slightly though he could not go far due to the small size of the bed.

"I didn't realize you were into early morning sex," Jared remarked, smirking. Booth responded by throwing a pillow at him. Though he ducked, the pillow simply hit him in the head instead of the chest. "You know, Mom gave you two beds for a reason," Jared commented as he started out of the room.

"That one squeaks," Booth fabricated.

"Bullshit."

"Leave, Jared. We need privacy for our early morning sex," Booth said, starting to grow annoyed by his brother's presence.

"Okay. But I warn you that if you're not down in five minutes, Mom will probably come up here herself to find you."

"We'll be quick," Booth assured him. As soon as the door had swung shut behind Jared, Booth sighed and pushed himself out of bed. "You should probably hurry up getting ready," Booth advised. "Jared wasn't lying when he said that if we aren't down soon, Mom will come up to find us."

"Does your mother not trust you?" Brennan questioned.

"It's not that. She just likes to have everybody at breakfast when she serves it. Maddie used to get a lot of flak when we were younger because she liked to sleep late in the mornings. And she slept soundly, too. My mother had to work to wake her up for breakfast. But she wouldn't let us eat until Maddie was there."

"Oh, I see. It's some sort of family tradition."

"Pretty much." He pulled on a shirt before turning to her. "You ready to head down?"

Brennan slipped her arms into her favorite robe and cinched the belt. "Yes."

When they entered the kitchen, Jared glanced up at them with raised eyebrows, but they both ignored the expression. Booth waved her to a seat and entered the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with two bowls of oatmeal. It was not his favorite breakfast food, but living with Brennan had taught him to appreciate it more. Or at least to tolerate it with liberal amounts of cinnamon.

Parker had already begun to dig into his bowl of Cheerios as he talked animatedly with his cousins, their conversation punctuated by Maddie's reminders to keep their mouths closed while they ate. Brennan watched the interaction with an expression on her face that Booth had seen all too often when she was staring at a particularly interesting set of bones. He knew she was likely analyzing the anthropological significance of a mother's scolding about manners.

Sliding into the seat beside Brennan, Booth set one bowl on the table in front of her, subtly squeezing her knee as he brought his hand back to his side. She smiled at him in thanks as she began eating. "Look who's been domesticated," Jared remarked, seeing the oatmeal in front of his brother. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day when Seeley Booth ate oatmeal for breakfast."

"I've eaten it before," Booth countered.

"Only when Mom made you and then only after a lot of complaining."

"It's not so bad with cinnamon."

"I tried to tell you that," Jennie pointed out. "You never listened to me."

"I don't remember that," Booth said, growing more agitated.

"Of course you don't." Jared grinned smugly. "Because you're too chicken to admit that you're whipped."

"I'm not whipped," Booth protested.

"Of course he's not," Brennan agreed. "Booth and I have never used such implements during our more intimate activities though we have-"

"Bones, don't you dare finish that sentence," Booth said, attempting to keep his face from reddening. All the older members of his family were focused entirely on Brennan. Sometimes, he wished she had a bit more tact.

"I don't understand your aversion to discussing anything remotely sexual-"

"Little ears, Bones," Booth scolded. "And unlike you, I prefer to keep my private life private." He was focusing entirely on his oatmeal, shoveling it into his mouth as he tried to ignore the burning of his ears and cheeks.

"It's a perfectly natural-"

"Can we please discuss this another time?" Booth's voice was strained.

"If you insist."

"Good. So how about them Braves?" He looked up hopefully at Jared who simply shook his head. Luckily, Maddie picked up the conversation, launching into a diatribe about the most recent game. Growing up with two brothers had turned her into a sports fanatic, and she often watched more sports than both Booth boys combined. Slowly, the tension eased somewhat, and the remainder of breakfast passed without incident.

After breakfast, Parker convinced Booth to take him to the park. Maddie decided to join her brother, and Hilary also tagged along, so the three took all the kids with them, knowing fresh air and some exercise would do the rambunctious children some good. Brennan declined the invitation to tag along, preferring to curl up with a recent anthropology journal by the fire, and both Jared and Mark also decided to stay behind. Soon after they left, Mark disappeared to take a nap, claiming it was the first time he had experienced peace and quiet in days. The elder Booth's announced that they were going to take a short walk, leaving Brennan and Jared alone in the living room with Jared lounged in an armchair thumbing through a sports magazine.

"So, how's my younger brother treating you?" Jared asked after a few minute of silence. Brennan glanced up at him.

"He's treating me very well. I don't see why you'd have to ask though; Booth does not seem like the type to engage in any form of abuse."

Jared chuckled. "You really are something else. My brother sure knows how to pick them. I wonder how long you'll last."

"What do you mean?" Now, Brennan's attention was focused entirely on Jared; she had set the journal aside, not even bothering to mark the current page.

"I just mean that Seeley has a history of leaving women before he grows too attached. Sure, he always blames it on something else, but I think he just can't be with one person too long. It's too boring for him. I mean, Rebecca supposedly declined his offer of marriage, which is true, but I'm wondering if he had hoped that would happen when he actually proposed. And Cam, well, I'm sure you'll find out about Cam. I'm just saying to be careful. I don't want you to be hurt when Seeley leaves. And it's nothing personal; just remember that he always does this."

Without another word, Brennan rose from her seat and strode quickly from the room. How could she have been so stupid? She should never have believed any of Booth's lies. Of course he would leave her. Everyone left her. It was like some unwritten law, the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt always leave Dr. Temperance Brennan when given a chance. She had thought Booth was different, had believed that he would always be there for her, but she should have known that it was too good to be true. Life did not have fairy tale endings. Life had struggles and hardships, pain and suffering. She had travelled the world and seen enough to confirm these universal truths. Nothing was easy. She should not have expected a relationship with Booth to defy this statement of fact.

It was ridiculous, actually, she realized as she threw her clothes and toiletries back into her suitcase. She should not feel so upset. She did not need Booth to be happy. Needing someone other than herself was irrational, and she was not irrational. No sir, she was logical and self-reliant. Her happiness should only depend on her situation not on that of someone else. But why was she so distraught over finding out that Booth, like everyone else in her life, would leave her?

_Because you love him, _a small voice in the back of her head told her, a voice that she had thought she had suppressed years before. And she had suppressed it. Until, of course, she met Booth.

Once she threw her final shirt in the suitcase, she zipped it shut and quickly made her way to the kitchen. A short search allowed her to find a phone book, and she thumbed through it with such haste that she was surprised she did not tear any of the thin pages. Finally, she found the phone number for a local cab company, and she punched the numbers into her phone with more force than was strictly necessary. As she listened to the ringing of the phone on the other end, she turned and left the house, unable to stand its stifling atmosphere any longer. Her breathing had already grown labored, and she felt as if she was gasping for air. The house reminded her too much of Booth, too much of the wonderful times they had together, and too much of his betrayal.

After instructing the cab company to pick her up at the entrance to Booth's neighborhood, Brennan called the airport where a haggard-sounding woman told her that they had no flights out of Atlanta until after Christmas. By the time the cab arrived, Brennan was thoroughly frustrated, and she snapped at the driver to take her to the nearest hotel. He did as she asked, and she practically threw the money for the fare at him before exiting the car and striding inside. It was not until she was safely in the hotel room that she finally allowed herself to lose control, letting the tears to slide down her cheek. She hated herself for crying but more than that, she hated Booth for breaking down her walls so completely that she could cry. She was supposed to be strong and self-reliant; she was accustomed to people leaving. She had adapted before and could easily do so again.

_It's different this time. _The annoying voice had returned, taunting her. _Because this is Booth. Because you let guard down, allowed yourself to love him. _"Shut up!" Brennan said aloud. "Just shut up!" But the voice didn't listen; in fact, it continued to grow louder until Brennan could barely take the torture any longer. All the pain that she had felt over the years came flooding back to her, increasing the flow of her tears until she could do nothing but curl up in the center of her bed, alone once more, and allow the tears to come.


	4. Chapter 4

When Booth returned, the first thing he noticed was that Brennan's journal was lying on the couch but the woman herself was nowhere to be found. Assuming she had simply left to use the restroom or something similar, he set Parker on the floor to play and carried a sleeping Aaron upstairs for his mid-morning nap. When he entered the room he was sharing with Brennan, he frowned slightly. Brennan's suitcase was missing along with all of her things. Something was going on, and he did not like it.

It did not take Booth long to figure out who was sure to have more information. Jared. He must have done something or said something. Booth could not think of another reason why Brennan would have left so suddenly.

With a dangerous glint in his eyes, Booth pounded down the stairs, striding purposefully into the living room where his older brother sat in an armchair. Jared watched his brother's approach warily, and Booth knew immediately that something was up. Jared had the same look that he had seen on countless guilty criminals over the years. "What the hell did you do to her, Jared?" Booth asked.

"Nothing." Jared's eyes shifted, a sure sign he was lying.

"Bullshit. If you hurt her, so help me God. . ." Booth left the threat open-ended, knowing that Jared would fill in the blanks quite nicely. Though Booth was younger, he was also in much better shape than Jared and better trained in combat.

"Look, all I did was ask her about how you were treating her."

"And?" Booth probed, knowing there was something more.

"And I may have mentioned that you have a habit of not sticking around too long and warned her not to get too attached."

"What?" Booth practically roared.

"Well, you do have a tendency to run before you get bored with someone. Rebecca, Cam, what's her name from college. . ."

"Don't you dare pretend you know anything about me or my relationship with Bones," Booth said in a dangerously low whisper. "I would never leave her. Never. She means more to me than anything else in this world. And if something happens because of your stupid, thoughtless comment, I will personally ensure that you are never able to make such a comment again. Got it?"

Jared nodded, his eyes focused on Booth's hands which remained fisted by his side. Booth raised a hand, pausing a moment as if considering his options. He saw Jared cringe, but instead of punching his older brother, Booth let his hand fall back to his side. He glanced toward the door where Maddie stood, watching the interaction with a slightly puzzled expression. She had seen her brothers fight before, and their fights had often ended in blows, but they had cooled off somewhat since growing older. Now, however, she could clearly see the fury in Seeley's eyes and the terror in Jared's. Something serious had happened.

"Watch Parker and Aaron for me," Booth said simply, addressing his sister.

"Where-"

"I don't know," Booth answered, cutting her off. With that, he left, letting the front door slam shut behind him. Maddie turned to Jared, question in her eyes, but he simply shook his head. He did not need his little sister scolding him.

It took a couple hours for Booth to find Bones. He knew that there would be no planes so close to Christmas, so Bones was likely in a hotel, probably something fairly close to the house since she did not know the area well. His FBI badge ensured that he received all the information he needed from the hotel clerks, but it still took him six hotels before he discovered where she was staying. A flash of his FBI shield gave him the room number, and he approached it at nearly a sprint, accidently passing the door so that he had to backtrack. When he stopped in front of her door, he raised his fist and pounded on it loudly. After a few seconds, he heard her voice sounding shakier than he had ever heard it. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Bones. We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Look, Bones, my brother was being an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"He sure sounded like he did. And he gave specific examples of when it had happened in the past. Scientifically speaking, his hypothesis seems accurate."

"Bones, how many times do I have to tell you, this has nothing to do with science? What happened in the past doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'm with you and that I love you and am never going to leave you willingly."

"You can't say never. You can't predict the future."

"When it comes to my feelings for you, I can."

"No, Booth, people change. It's ridiculous to think that you can spend the rest of your life with a single person. Our preferences change."

"Mine won't."

"You're being irrational."

"Love is irrational."

"I'm not really in the mood to talk about this right now, Booth."

"Fine. But I'm not leaving until we talk." He settled back against her door, shifting as he attempted to find a comfortable position. In the end, he failed miserably and settled for a slumped position that took some of the pressure off of his back.

Brennan did not move from the bed at all that night nor did she sleep very much. Her brain was too clouded with thoughts and regrets, preventing her from relaxing. At 4:30, she finally gave up attempting to sleep and padded quietly out of bed, intending to take a walk to clear her head. As she opened the hotel door, she felt something heavy fall through and looked down to see her partner blinking sleep out of his eyes as he pushed himself carefully off the floor.

"Booth, what are you doing here?" Brennan questioned.

"I told you I wasn't leaving until we talked," he reminded her.

"We did talk."

"No, we didn't."

"Sure we did. We just didn't agree. So what you really meant to say is that you're not leaving until I admit that you're right."

"No, what I really meant to say is that I'm not leaving because I would never leave you, and I want you to see that. I'm in this relationship, Bones. Completely in. And I'm not going to give up on it because my brother is an idiot." He stood, wincing in pain as his back protested the movement. Sleeping on the floor had not been his brightest idea ever, and the hard wood of the door had not helped.

"Booth, you should never have been sleeping there with your back," Brennan scolded, watching his face contort with pain as he straightened.

"You didn't really give me much choice, Bones. You wouldn't let me in."

"Because I wasn't ready to talk about what you wanted to talk about. I'm still not."

"Fine. Then I'll wait until you are." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her defiantly. She sighed, seeing that he would not give up until he had his way. He could be extremely stubborn sometimes. They both could be.

"Okay, we'll talk, but don't expect anything to come of it."

"We'll see, Bones." She stepped out of his way, allowing him to enter the room, and she followed behind, shutting the door behind them.

"Lay down on the bed and take off your shirt," she instructed.

He turned to her, surprised. "What?"

"I want to see if I can work out some of those knots in your back."

"Bones, I don't really give a damn about my back right now," he told her, trying to clear his mind of the images of her hands skimming over his naked body. He needed to focus on making her understand his commitment to her. He could not afford to deal with any distractions right now.

"Booth, you're obviously in pain, and it makes no sense for you to continue to be in pain when I can fix it quite easily. We can talk at the same time."

"Actually, I don't think that's going to work too well, Bones," Booth remarked. "Let's just talk first. I don't want any distractions."

"I'm perfectly capable of performing more than one task at once without this multitasking affecting my performance in either task."

"It's not you I'm worried about, Bones."

"Fine. Then we'll talk." She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him expectantly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"What exactly did Jared tell you?" he finally questioned.

"He said that you tend to get bored of dating someone and move on to another person. He said it's happened before with Rebecca and Cam and warned me that it will eventually happen with us."

"It won't happen with us."

"It's perfectly conceivable that you will eventually grow bored with our relationship and wish to end it. I don't blame you."

Booth scoffed. "Believe me, Bones, you are far from boring."

"But what if-"

Booth silenced her by placing a finger against her lips. "No what ifs, Bones. I'm in for the long haul. Bones. Temperance." He emphasized her first name as his hand cupped her chin and tilted her face upwards. "I love you. There is nothing in this world that can take me away from you. I hate that people have hurt you so much in the past to make you so distrusting, but you have to trust me when I tell you that I am not one of those people. I'm not going to leave you. I would rather die than do anything to hurt you. You have to believe that."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she nodded slowly. "I believe you, Booth. I think part of me always has. It's just. . . I don't know. I can't help but wonder. . ."

He leaned forward impulsively, pressing his lips insistently against hers. "I told you no what ifs, Bones," he reminded her when he pulled away. "Just trust me."

"I do."

"Good." His lips found hers again, assuring her that he spoke the truth, that he would never abandon her. She returned the kiss eagerly, allowing herself to accept comfort for the first time in awhile. And in truth, she did not mind accepting it. As she pressed her body firmly against his, feeling his warmth and familiar scent wash over her, she realized that sometimes, it was nice to have someone else to rely on, someone else who she knew would be there to help her back to her feet when she fell. And for the first time since she was fifteen, the thought of relying on another did not scare her. She knew that Booth was not lying when he said he would never leave her. She could not explain how he could be so confident, but she trusted him completely and had learned that he made no idle promises. Booth was strong, a refuge in the storm, the one person that she was able to count on to be there in countless trying situations. And he would continue to be her anchor for years to come, for she knew in her heart that even when the tempest threatened, Booth would be there to help her through it in one piece.

The desperate need for oxygen finally separated them, and Booth stepped away from her slowly. Her trained eyes immediately fixated on his carriage, and she remembered his sore back. "I still haven't given you that backrub," she said.

"Well, I'd certainly appreciate one now," he told her.

"I need you to lay on the bed and take your shirt off."

"If you insist." He grinned slyly before lifting his shirt over his head and tossing it to the side. Approaching the bed, he lay across it on his stomach with his chin propped on his hands. Brennan approached him slowly and took a moment to study him before settling beside him on the bed, bringing her hands to his shoulders. Using her thumbs, she slowly began to work out the knots around his neck. He moaned softly in pleasure as her nimble fingers worked their magic, coaxing his muscles loose.

"God, Bones, I don't know how you're so good at this," he mumbled.

"I'm a trained forensic anthropologist. I know the human body."

"You certainly do." His eyes slid shut in pleasure as her hands moved outward. Now, she was employing all of her fingers to lessen the tension in his shoulders. As she continued, she brought one leg to the other side of his body so that she was straddling him across his hips. Though she was still fully clothed, and he half-clothed, he still felt his groin tighten at the increased contact. No doubt about it, he had it bad. And honestly, he did not care at all.

The massage continued for twenty minutes with her expert fingers discovering muscles he did not even realize he possessed. Despite the loosening of his muscles, however, tension built up in other parts of his anatomy as the massage continued. With every seemingly innocent shift of her weight, Booth found himself growing harder. It did not help that she shifted around a lot.

When she reached the waistband of his pants, he could stand it no longer. Deftly, he flipped them over so that she was lying on her back with him above her, his tented pants betraying his arousal. She smiled up at him. "I hadn't finished yet."

"I think I'm good," he assured her, his voice a low grumble. He was happy to note that his back did indeed feel considerably better. Of course, his mind was so clouded with desire that it might not register pain properly.

"Are you sure? Because I can continue. . . massaging if you like." Her hands reached lower, hovering near his pants.

He growled. "How about I massage you?" he suggested.

"We can always massage each other."

"Now that can certainly be arranged."

When they finally did leave the bed, the sun had already risen. Booth's stomach gave a growl of protest, reminding him that he had not eaten since breakfast the previous day. He suggested they find somewhere to get some breakfast, a suggestion that Brennan readily agreed to. They left the hotel hand-in-hand, meandering slowly towards Booth's car as they argued about what to eat for breakfast.

In the end, they settled on a small coffee shop a few blocks from the hotel that provided bran muffins for Brennan and an assortment of pastries for Booth. Both ate heartily as they continued to argue about nothing in particular. When they finished, Booth threw enough money on the table to cover the bill and a tip before leading Bones back to the car. They returned to the hotel, intending to check out and return to Booth's parents' house.

As Brennan packed up the few things she had removed from her suitcase the previous day, Booth stood in the corner of the bedroom with his arms crossed against his chest, watching her with interest. When she finished packing, she turned to him with her eyebrows elevated. "What?" she questioned.

"Nothing. Just thinking about how beautiful you are," he answered simply approaching her. "And how lucky I am." He kissed her soundly.

"We're both lucky," she said as they pulled away before leaning forward again.

In the end, they did not check out of the hotel until late morning and were almost charged for an extra day until the owner recognized Brennan and let her off as a "favor to the best looking doctor writer he had ever met." Booth decided to let the comment slide since the owner was helping them out.


	5. Chapter 5

They returned home just before lunchtime and were greeted just inside the doorway by an excited Parker. "Daddy, are you okay?" he questioned, his brown eyes large and filled with concern.

"I'm fine, Bub. Bones and I just had a couple things to work out."

The small boy now turned to Brennan. "Dr. Bones, I missed you, too!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her middle. She patted his back, smiling.

Maddie entered the room at that moment. "I thought I heard you come in," she remarked, seeing Booth and Brennan. "Everything okay?"

Booth and Brennan shared a look. "It is now," Booth finally said.

"Good, because this one," she ruffled Parker's hair, "missed you a lot. And Aaron's been unusually fussy lately, so I think he did, too."

"Well, we're back now."

"Just in time for the Christmas Eve festivities," Jennie said, entering the foyer.

"Have you put up the tree yet?" Booth questioned, his eyes lighting up.

Jennie laughed. "Your dad and brother just went to get it from the attic." Before she finished her sentence, he was already off to find his dad and brother. Next, Jennie turned to Brennan. "Hilary, Maddie, and I are working on dinner in the kitchen if you'd like to join us," she suggested.

Brennan opened her mouth to decline the offer, intending to point out just how ridiculous the stereotyped gender rules were, but a shout from Booth cut her off. "Bones! We could use your help up here!" he called down the stairs.

"I guess I should go help," Brennan said, ducking away quickly. Parker traipsed after her, and the two of them found Booth standing at the top of the steps, his arms crossed over his chest. "What did you need, Booth?" Brennan questioned.

"I just thought I'd get you away from my mother before she asked you to come help in the kitchen and you launched into a diatribe about gender stereotyping or something similar." He bent over and swung Parker into his arms as he spoke, and the small boy cuddled against his father.

"How did you know what would happen?"

"Because I know my mother, and I know you. Besides, I figured you would rather be helping us haul boxes out of the attic than cooking."

"Are you going to stand there flirting all day or do you actually plan on helping?" Jared questioned as he walked by with a large box labeled "Christmas."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Booth said, placing Parker back on the ground with instructions for the young boy to play in the room he was staying in with the door open. As Parker ran off, Booth turned to Brennan. "So, what do you say? You up for some heavy lifting?"

"Sure. I can manage."

"I'm sure you can, Bones. Come on."

Even with four people helping (for Mark had mysteriously disappeared; Maddie said something about work, but Booth wondered what could be so pressing about taxes that required him to be away from his family on Christmas Eve), it took almost half an hour for them to locate and carry down all the Christmas boxes. Once the boxes were stacked in the living room, Booth and Jared began to wrestle the tree together as Brennan and Jack started putting up the other decorations.

As Brennan pulled a couple last items from one box, she suddenly felt hot breath on her neck and two large, warm hands on her hips. "You do realize what you're holding, don't you?" Booth whispered in her ear. Brennan looked down at her hand, and realization dawned on her. She sensed Booth smile behind her.

"Mistletoe," she said, "or a mock-up of it at least."

"You know what people are supposed to do under the mistletoe."

"Of course. By Scandinavian tradition, if enemies met in a forest underneath it, they had to call a truce until the next day."

"Fascinating, Bones, but that's not exactly the tradition I was thinking of."

"I assume you're referring to the tradition of a male and female who meet under the mistletoe being required to kiss."

"Now you've got it, Bones."

"But we're not under it."

He reached around her and took the plastic plant from her hands, lifting it above both their heads. "Now we are," he said. She turned to face him, and their lips met in a searing kiss, both of them suddenly forgetting the presence of others in the room. Booth wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer so that their bodies were pressed tightly together. She moved her arms up to wrap them around his neck as he deepened this kiss. Just as tongues began to come into play, the loud clearing of a throat behind them separated to two.

"Think you can part for a few seconds to help me finish these lights?" Jared asked.

Booth glanced at Brennan who he still held tightly against his body. "I guess I can manage that," he conceded with a small smile, placing another kiss on her lips before handing her the mistletoe and joining his brother.

Thirty minutes later, they were joined by the rest of the Booths. "Just in time for decorating the tree," Booth announced, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Ooh, can I help?" Parker questioned.

"No, you're too little," Michael objected. Parker pouted, but his aunt quickly came to his rescue.

"Now, Michael, we've talked about picking on others," Hilary scolded her son. "You were decorating the tree when you were three years old. Parker can certainly help."

"Thanks, Aunt Hilary!" Parker said, hugging her excitedly. She smiled at his enthusiasm before herding him and his cousins over to the tree, pointing out a box of non-breakable ornaments for them to hang.

"They look like they're having fun," Brennan observed, watching as the kids eagerly dug through the box of colorful ornaments, selecting their favorites to hang.

"They look forward to this all year. Everyone does."

"But why? All you're doing is hanging some cheap plastic toys on a tree."

"Trust me, Bones, it's so much more than that. Come on, I'll show you." He held out his hand, and she took it without hesitation, trusting him implicitly. With a smile, he led her to an unopened box of ornaments.

Forty-five minutes later, every inch of the tree had been covered with ornaments ranging from golden musical instruments to brightly colored glass balls to countless homemade ornaments, some created by Booth grandchildren and some by the children themselves thirty years before. As they had hung the ornaments, Booth had told Brennan the stories behind some of them, and she had slowly come to realize why decorating the tree was so important to the family. It was a tradition, one which had started countless years before and which now continued with the next generation. The tree and its ornaments had a history; as they decorated, the family recalled fond memories from years past, laughing and joking with one another and creating more memories that they could reminisce on the next year. Brennan remembered doing something similar many years before; decorating the tree had been something her mother insisted they do as a family every year. Brennan had almost forgotten what it was like.

"You okay, Bones?" Booth inquired, his hand warm on the small of her back as he stood behind her. She nodded slowly.

"Just. . . remembering," she told him.

He kissed the top of her hair comfortingly. "It's okay to remember, Bones. Just don't forget to enjoy the moment, too. Otherwise, you'll never have new memories."

Brennan glanced around the room. Jack and Jennie were seated on the couch, watching the festivities. Maddie and Mark stood slightly to one side, talking to Hilary and Jared as they kept an eye on the kids who ran around their feet. Parker and Kaylie were arguing about the placement of one ornament while Stephen chased Lily around the tree. Michael watched the scene with his arms crossed, shaking his head in an attempt to appear more adult. Unfortunately, the act did not last long; Lily and Stephen ran too close to him, and Stephen tumbled into him, knocking Michael to the ground. Unable to stop her momentum, Lily followed, and the three ended up tussling in front of the tree. Realizing what was occurring, Kaylie and Parker decided to join in the fun.

"We should probably separate them before the tree comes crashing down," Booth remarked, moving toward the kids. A single command caused all five to stop wrestling, and all five rose to their feet looking slightly sheepish. "I don't care if you wrestle," Booth clarified. "Just don't hurt each other or the tree." They nodded, moving to another corner of the room where the wrestling match began again.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Hilary questioned.

"It's as good of a way as any to get rid of energy," Booth pointed out. "Besides, they need to learn how to take care of themselves."

"But what if they get hurt?"

"I doubt they'll get seriously injured. If you don't want them wrestling, you can stop it. But I think a wrestling match from time to time is good for Parker."

"So you encourage fighting at your house?"

"Not encourage it, no. But if it's obviously in fun and no one's getting hurt, I see no problem with it."

"I still think I'm going to stop them."

"That's your right as a parent." Hilary approached the kids and broke up the wrestling after a few minutes. Once his opponents had left, Parker traipsed over to Booth, still wearing his customary Booth smile.

"Daddy, can we play baskaball now?" he inquired.

"Go get your shoes and coat. As long as the basketball is still in the garage, we're good. I'll meet you right back here in five minutes."

"Okay!" Parker raced off to find the desired items of clothing.

Booth turned to Brennan next. "You coming?" he questioned. She shook her head.

"I'm not that much of a basketball person," she objected.

"Come on, Bones, it'll be fun," Booth wheedled. "Please!" Brennan continued to shake her head, and he continued to beg until she finally grew tired of protesting and acquiesced. He smiled. "I knew you'd come around."

"You can be very annoying sometimes, you know," she told him.

"I know," he said with a smile before placing a hand on the small of her back and leading her outside, followed closely by Parker who had donned his shoes and coat.

They played for almost two hours, sometimes joined by Michael or Kaylie though it was only the three of them for most of the time. As soon as they walked in the door, Jennie ushered them to the showers, reminding them of some party that they were expected to attend that night. As all three climbed up the stairs, Brennan turned to Booth with a questioning look. "Party?" she wondered.

"Yeah, the Christmas Eve party at the Manbroughs'," Booth explained. "They're two of my parents' oldest friends, so we've been going to that party every Christmas Eve since I was little."

"And you didn't think to tell me this before?"

"Honestly, with everything that happened, I just forgot."

"I'm not very good at parties."

"You'll be fine. Just trust me, Bones. Why don't you take first shower in the guest bath, and I'll help Parker with his bath in the other bathroom?"

"Booth, we're not done discussing this. I really don't appreciate the fact that you never asked me whether or not I wanted to go to this party."

Booth sighed and turned to her. He should have known that Bones would not be easily convinced to go to the party. "Bones, please, my mother expects us to go. The Manbroughs expect us to be there; I've gone every year."

"I'm not stopping you from going. I'm just saying that I won't be joining you."

Booth stepped closer to her. "Please, Bones!" he said, his voice deep and low. She shook her head, trying to ignore the closeness of his body and the shivers that his nearness sent down her spine. He smiled when he saw her reaction and leaned closer so that his lips hovered just above hers. "Are you sure you don't want to go?" he questioned.

"Booth, this is not fair."

"All's fair in love and war, Bones."

"I still don't understand why I have to go."

Booth sighed and backed away from her slightly. "You don't have to do anything, Bones. But I would really appreciate it if you would come with me."

Brennan paused, considering for a moment. "Alright," she finally decided.

"You'll do it?" His face lit up like a kid on Christmas.

"Yes, I'll come."

"Great. I'll see you in a bit then." He kissed her briefly on the lips before striding up the stairs calling for Parker. Brennan watched him go before following.

Forty-five minutes later, Brennan sat in the living room, watching while most of the members of the Booth family rushed around the house as they finished preparing to leave for the party. Booth walked into the room in a button down shirt and slacks, his well-practiced hands knotting his tie as he searched for Parker. "Bones, have you seen-" he began, but she interrupted him before he could finish.

"Over by the window. He's hiding from your mother."

"Dr. Bones, you said you wouldn't tell," a small voice whined as Parker emerged from behind a large armchair.

"I said I wouldn't tell your grandmother. You said nothing about your father."

"But he's going to tell her where I am."

"Don't worry, Bub, I won't do that. I have enough experience with how crazy your grandmother can get before one of these parties. I just wanted to make sure you had finished getting ready."

Parker nodded. "I'm done. But Granny wants to make me wear a tie. I don't wanna wear a tie. I hate ties!"

Booth smiled. "I used to say the same thing. How about we compromise? You wear the cool new Power Rangers tie I got you instead of this boring one. It's in your bag."

"Okay!" Parker quickly scrambled out from behind the chair, traipsing over to his bag to find the tie. Booth laughed as he followed him.


	6. Chapter 6

It took another fifteen minutes for the entire family to assemble in the living room. All were dressed in cocktail attire; even the kids were wearing nice gowns and suits and ties. Jennie glanced over the family quickly before nodding her approval. "Great. We're all ready. Let's go, let's go." She began ushering them out the door. Once outside, they split into three groups; Jared and Maddie took their families in their cars, and Booth and Bones ended up with both Jack and Jennie since they had the SUV. Brennan started to move toward her usual spot in the front seat, but a look from Booth stopped her, and she stepped away to offer the seat to his parents. Both fortunately declined the offer, so Brennan slid into the front seat as they climbed into the back. Booth secured the boys in their car seats before seating himself behind the wheel and starting the car.

The drive was short which was fortunate for Brennan, for Jack and Jennie had decided that the car ride would provide the perfect opportunity to question Brennan about her life. Booth saw the panic on her face and helped her out as much as possible by deflecting some of the more difficult questions to answer, but Brennan still had to answer more than she would have liked. As soon as the car stopped, Brennan hopped out and moved to the back to take Aaron from the car. She joined Booth who had already unstrapped Parker and now held the small boy's hand. He put an arm around her, pulling her ear to his mouth. "They're just trying to get to know you better," he assured her before kissing her hair.

"It feels like an interrogation."

"That's just their way. Don't worry; once they get to know you a bit better, they'll love you like I do." Brennan looked skeptical but let it go.

The next couple of hours were filled with a whirlwind of introductions, exclamations over Brennan's "celebrity status," and praises of how big Parker was getting and how cute Aaron was. They often ended up cornered around the table with the champagne, and Brennan found herself drinking more than usual in an attempt to make it through the night with her sanity intact. Booth, too, had his fair share though he usually did not drink champagne. By the time the party had started to draw to a close, Brennan was feeling much less like killing what must have been the twentieth person that night to tell her that they loved her books. Instead, she simply responded with a "Thanks," and a very un-Brennan-like giggle. Booth appeared behind her holding a half-full champagne flute and wearing a wide grin.

"Come on, Bones," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Mom's trying to gather the family together so we can get going."

"You're drunk," Brennan told him, still giggling.

"Yeah, well, so are you," he countered as he began steering her toward the door.

"But you're driving." Even when drunk, Brennan retained some of her rationality.

"Nope, Mom is."

"You're letting someone else drive your car?"

"She drives it home every year. Both Dad and I have found that this party is virtually impossible to endure without alcohol. Mom doesn't have that problem."

"I agree with you and your dad," Brennan said with a small hiccup. Booth smiled at her, reaching to pull both their coats off the rack by the door. He helped her into hers before slipping on his own. Booth opened the door, and she passed under his arm, pulling her coat tighter around her to fight off the cold night air. Jennie and Jack were already waiting by the car for them as was Parker who looked ready to topple over from exhaustion. Jennie held Aaron who was snoozing calmly.

"Ready to go?" Jennie questioned. Both partners nodded before climbing into the back with the kids. Parker fell asleep soon after he was strapped into his booster seat, and Jack and Jennie seemed to be finished with their questioning for the time being, so the ride back was relatively quiet. About halfway through the ride, Booth felt something against his calf, pushing the leg of his slacks up. Glancing down, he saw that it was Brennan's foot; when he looked at her, she was smiling seductively at him. It appeared that she became much more flirtatious after drinking.

The foot slowly climbed higher, and her hand came to rest on his thigh. Booth was too intoxicated and enjoying the attention too much to stop it despite the fact that his Catholic parents were sitting no more than three feet from him. In response, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her as close as their seatbelts would allow. Turning, he hissed in her ear, "Just wait until we get out of this car and away from my parents." She responded by squeezing his leg, and he felt his groin tighten. She moved her own hand farther up his leg, and he tried desperately to ignore its warm weight. Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle; his body was already responding to her, and no number of hockey stats seemed to be able to change that. All he could do was go down fighting.

And so he moved his hand to the leg nearest to him, letting it rest on her bare knee. Slowly, he slid the hand upward beneath her skirt, no longer concerned about his parents. Her hand circled inwards, and she let her knuckles brush against his rapidly-forming erection. "You're killing me, Bones," he growled in her ear. She simply smiled slightly drunkenly and moved her hand closer. He bit hard on his tongue to suppress his groan, retaliating by moving his hand to play with the edge of her underwear.

By the time they reached the house, Booth was about ready to strip Brennan's clothes off and take her right there in the car no matter what his parents thought. Somehow, he managed to control himself enough to unstrap Parker from his car seat and carry the small boy into the house and up to bed. Brennan brought Aaron up behind him; as soon as both boys were safely tucked into bed, Brennan turned to him, grabbing his tie and pulling his lips to hers in a searing kiss. He responded almost immediately, slamming her into the wall as he inserted his tongue into her mouth. They spent a couple minutes kissing fiercely, but when her hands began to seek his belt buckle, he pulled away. "I don't want to scar Parker if he happens to wake up," Booth said breathlessly.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Because I'm not sure how much longer I can wait." She toyed with his tie as she talked, unknotting it. Once she had thrown it aside, she shoved his jacket from his shoulders, pressing her lips to his again. He groaned into the kiss, using what little resolve he had left to push her away.

"Come on, Bones. I know a good place." He grabbed her hand, leading her quickly from the room and down the stairs. He turned toward the kitchen, crossing it in three long strides, stopping in front of a door that she had not seen open before. Quickly, he yanked it open, pulling her through. The door shut loudly behind him, and Brennan wondered for a moment if the noise would draw the attention of the rest of the family, but she was soon distracted by Booth's lips on hers as he pressed her against the door. She felt his hands fumbling behind her and heard the click of a latch as he locked the door. Her hands began on the buttons of his shirt as his reached under her, lifting her from the ground. Slowly, he started down the stairs which she assumed led to a basement, never removing his lips from hers. During their descent, she managed to finish the buttons of his shirt, and she pushed it off, leaving her hands free to run over his muscular chest.

Somehow, he made it down the stairs without falling over backward, and he backed Brennan into the wall, letting her drop to the ground as his hands sought out the zipper of her dress. When his fingers closed over the cool metal, he pulled it down, pushing the fabric of the dress from her shoulders. His lips moved to her clavicle, and he used his teeth and tongue to draw a low moan from her. Her hands found his belt buckle (which was normal-sized and devoid of any flashiness at his mother's request), and she undid it quickly, pulling it from the loops. He turned her around, walking her back to the couch that his parents had set up for him and his siblings so many years before. When her legs hit the arm, they unceremoniously fell onto the cushions, still locked tightly together.

It was nearing four in the morning when they finally made their way back upstairs to the room where they were staying. Soft snores assured them that both boys were sleeping soundly, a fact for which they were grateful. Completely exhausted, both partners collapsed into the small twin bed. "Night, Bones," Booth whispered, his strong arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her against his body.

"Night, Booth," she answered drowsily before drifting off to sleep.

Booth awoke the next morning to a weight dropping on his calves. Opening his eyes slightly, he looked down to see that Parker was perched on his legs, staring at him expectantly. "It's Christmas, Daddy," the small boy said excitedly. "Presents."

Booth groaned and raised himself up slightly to glance at the clock which was blocked from view by Brennan's body. The red numbers informed him that it was 6:33. With a sigh, he let his head fall back against the pillow. "There will still be presents in a couple hours," he informed Parker, knowing even as he made the argument that it would not work.

"But I'm awake and ready to open them now!" Parker said, his voice taking on a whine. Booth sighed again.

"Is anyone else up yet?"

"Uh-huh. Kaylie and Michael are downstairs with Granny."

"Why don't you go down with them, too, and we'll be down in a little bit?"

"But Granny says we can't open presents until everyone is there."

"Even if we go down, everyone won't be there," Booth pointed out. Parker considered this for a moment.

"But what if everyone else does come down and you're not there?"

"Then you can come wake us up."

"But Daddy."

"No whining, Bub. And be quieter. You don't want to wake Bones." Booth glanced over at the sleeping anthropologist who had somehow managed not to wake during the initial onslaught or the ensuing conversation. "How about I make you a deal? If you let us sleep for another hour, we'll both come down."

"An hour." Parker looked at the clock; Booth had been teaching him to keep track of time, and it did not take long for his quick mind to do the math. "That's 7:30."

"Exactly. So at 7:30, you can come up here and wake Bones and me."

"Okay. Fine." Parker jumped from the bed, running from the room. Booth chuckled slightly at his exuberance before rolling over and closing his eyes for another precious hour of sleep.

Unfortunately, Booth was still tired when 7:30 rolled along, but he rose from bed anyway, wishing to keep his promise to Parker. Brennan was a bit harder to rouse, but she, too, finally rolled out of bed and grabbed her robe. Together, they descended the stairs, and Booth went immediately for the coffee, his head still pounding from the drinking he had done the previous night. He poured two large mugs, leaving one black and putting a small amount of milk in the other which he passed to Brennan. She drank deeply, giving him a grateful smile, and he could tell that she was also in pain. Entering the bathroom, he dug through the drawers for a few seconds before discovering a bottle of aspirin. After swallowing two, he brought two out for Brennan who quickly downed them with her coffee.

By that point, everyone was up except for Jared who Jennie assured was being "taken care of." Booth noticed that all of Jared's kids were also conspicuously absent.

A couple minutes later, Jared entered the kitchen looking even worse than Booth and Brennan. His eyes were bleary and bloodshot, and his hair stuck out at odd angles. His kids followed behind him, giggling furiously, though they were quickly distracted when they realized that everyone in the family was in the kitchen, meaning that the presents could be opened. Almost immediately, the five older children raced for the mound of packages in the living room.

By noon, the living room floor was covered in wrapping paper, and a cacophony of noise sounded as the kids all played excitedly with their new toys. Parker had received a new track for his cars from his grandparents, and it currently extended over a corner of the living room where he, Brennan, and Booth played. As Parker's car won the race for the twelfth time that morning, Jennie entered the room to announce that lunch was ready. It took some coaxing to convince the kids to leave their toys, but eventually, they were all sitting at the table with their clean hands folded, ready to say the blessing. Jennie led the blessing, and after the chorus of amens, everyone began to eagerly serve themselves from the delicious-smelling food which had been piled on the table.

Dinner was an enjoyable affair, even for Brennan who usually did not do well in family situations. Many members of the family regaled her with stories of Christmases past, including a few from Booth's childhood which caused him to blush. Evidently, he had lost a bet at twelve and had been forced to wear his sister's dress for the entirety of the family dinner (much to his mother's dismay and his siblings' amusement). After lunch, they all retired to the living room where there was more laughter and enjoyment. Aaron had awaken, and Brennan sat on the couch with him, watching Booth and Parker play with a fond smile. She found it funny how far she had come in two short years, mostly with Booth's help. And yet as she reflected on everything which had happened, she realized she would not change a single thing. Booth had taught her to love and what it meant to be loved, and for the first time since her teens, Brennan had finally realized what a family was.

It was later that night when Brennan decided to give Booth his final Christmas present. The boys had already gone to bed, and Brennan was sitting in bed reading through an anthropology journal when Booth came through the doorway, toweling his hair dry. He smiled when he saw here, leaning over to kiss her briefly before climbing into bed next to her. "Whatcha reading, Bones?" he questioned, looking over her shoulder.

"Just a journal. Nothing you would find interesting," she told him, marking her place and setting the journal aside. Turning, she took his face between her hands and kissed him sweetly on the lips. When she pulled away, he looked at her, his expression one of giddy confusion. "I have a proposition," Brennan stated. Booth snorted at this. Brennan now wore the look of confusion.

"Don't worry about it. Just proposition me," he said, smirking.

Understanding passed over Brennan's face. "I was not actually thinking of anything sexual in nature," she clarified in her usual blunt manner. "Though if you wish, we can certainly-" Booth cut her words off with his lips.

"Just tell me what you wanted to tell me, Bones," he said.

"I think we should get married."

Booth moved away from her slightly, his eyes wide with shock as he regarded her curiously. "Any reason for the sudden change of heart?" he asked guardedly.

"I was doing some research the other day for the upcoming court case, and it was mentioned that it is often easier for one parent to gain custody of a child if that person is married. And while I still think marriage is an antiquated ritual, the court obviously does not see it as such. And if the court wants to have a piece of paper as proof of my commitment to you and Parker, then I guess we should provide them with one. If it will help you gain custody of Parker-" She was once more prevented from speaking by Booth's lips pressing insistently against her own. She fell back onto the bed, and he moved over her, still kissing her fiercely.

He pulled away briefly to whisper, "I love you, Bones," before reconnecting his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss.

"I guess that's a yes then," she remarked when they next came up for air. He laughed, belatedly remembering the two sleeping boys in the room and quieting down somewhat. She was grinning widely below him, her hair fanned out on the pillow beneath her and her shirt slightly off her shoulder. She looked so beautiful in that moment that he could not stop himself from leaning over to kiss her once more. Her hands moved to his cheeks, her thumbs running over the slight stubble which grew there since he had not shaved that morning. Their legs tangled together as he lowered himself forward so that his entire body was pressed against hers.

When Brennan reached for the drawstring of his sweatpants, he finally pulled away. "As much as I want to, Bones, we can't do that here," he told her breathlessly.

"We can go back to the basement where we were last night," she suggested.

"Last night I was drunk and horny," he told her with a grin. "And though the latter description might fit tonight, I want to do this right, and we can't do that on a twenty-year-old couch in my parents' basement." She looked slightly disappointed, so he leaned over her to whisper in her ear, "But just wait until I get you home."

She smiled at him as he pushed himself up and moved to sit beside her with his back against the headboard. "I don't want a church wedding," Brennan remarked after a moment. Booth turned to look at her.

"I wasn't going to ask you to participate in one. Hell, I'll elope if you want."

"I don't think your mother would like that," Brennan said, frowning.

Booth chuckled softly. "No, I'm sure she wouldn't. However, I've spent my whole life disappointing her. I'm sure one more wouldn't hurt."

"We can invite her to be there when we sign the papers."

"She's going to want a big ceremony if we tell her," Booth warned.

"I don't want a big ceremony."

"I know, Bones. And I'm fine with that. I'm just not sure how fine my mother will be."

"So you want to get married without telling your mother?"

"No, we can tell her. We just have to make it perfectly clear that this is our decision and ours alone and that she can't change it."

"Sure," she agreed. He kissed her one final time before settling back against the pillows with his book. She, too, settled down with a journal, and he took the chance to glance over at her, admiring her beauty when she wasn't looking. He loved seeing her like she was right then—completely relaxed, reading through one of the journals she loved so much. Her silky brown hair was tucked behind her ears, and from time to time, her tongue would dart out over her lips as she concentrated on the words in front of her. A smile spread over his face as he watched her. "What?" she questioned without looking up from her journal.

"Nothing. You're beautiful."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

"Beauty's subjective."

"I think you're beautiful." He flashed his charm smile. She simply shook her head and turned back to her journal.


	7. Chapter 7

Two days later, Booth and Brennan stood in the courthouse in DC with Booth's parents, who had flown out for the occasion, standing beside him. Parker stood beside Jack, standing as straight as possible in an attempt to appear more adult. Jennie held Aaron who gurgled happily, unaware of what was going on around him. Angela, Hodgins, and Zach all stood beside Brennan, for they were her family. Every one of them, even Zach, was beaming brightly.

As expected, Jennie had not been happy about Booth and Brennan's insistence on skipping the traditional wedding ceremony. She simply did not understand Brennan's reluctance to participate in such a ceremony; as far as she was concerned, every woman dreamed of her wedding and planned for it months in advance.

But despite Jennie's objections, Brennan and Booth would not budge, and the older woman eventually had to concede defeat. She was still upset, but she managed to force a smile as Booth and Brennan signed the papers which would join them as man and wife. It was far from how Jennie had pictured her son's wedding, but she had not yet given up hope. Perhaps one day she could convince the two to reconsider their decision. After all, there was no reason they could not have a ceremony later even if they were already married.

Angela had agreed to watch the boys for the weekend so that Booth and Brennan could have some time for themselves to have a honeymoon. Brennan had been reluctant at first, unwilling to take off more time after spending four days out of the lab. Booth eventually managed to convince her to take the rest of their marriage day and the next day off, and they had planned a short vacation to Florida for the long weekend. It was not exactly what Booth had imagined in a honeymoon, but in truth, Brennan was right when she claimed that they had other responsibilities. Between the boys, the upcoming court case, and their jobs, they really could not take a full week for a honeymoon. And he did not really care where they went as long as there was a bed and some privacy.

Both partners slept for most of the flight to Florida. They had been up for a good portion of the previous night finishing up some paperwork for their latest case, so both were exhausted. By the time the plane touched down in Florida, however, both were wide awake. Since they were only gone for the weekend, neither had checked a bag, so in no time at all, they had managed to pick up their rental car and start toward the hotel. Fortunately, they managed to reach it without mishap, and they were soon standing in front of their room. Booth slid the key into the lock and opened the door, but he held out a hand to stop Brennan before she could enter.

"What? Do you think someone's waiting for us?"

Booth snorted. "No, Bones, but since this is our wedding day, I feel that I should carry you over the threshold."

"That's a ridiculous tradition, Booth, and I don't see why society continues to adhere to it. Do you even know how it started?"

"No, but I'm sure I'm going to find out soon enough," Booth mumbled. Brennan ignored him and continued.

"In the old days, grooms would often kidnap their brides. Actually, that was the original purpose of the best man—to help with the kidnapping. And so the groom would carry the bride over the threshold because she did not actually want to go. Alternatively, he sometimes did it so that she would not seem too eager about losing her virginity."

"That's great, Bones," Booth said, crouching down so he could place one arm behind her knees. His other arm came to rest on her lower back.

"There are actually other reasons for it, too. In Western Europe, there was a widely held superstition that if the bride tripped on her way into her new home, she would bring bad luck to her home and marriage. For some reason, the groom didn't have this problem, so he would carry the bride to ward off the evil spirits. Wait, Booth, what are you—oompf."

Her words were cut off as he straightened and lifted her from the ground in one swift motion. Using his foot to push the door open, he stepped into the room. "Well, I don't see any evil spirits hanging around, so I think we're okay."

"You can put me down now, Booth."

"No, I kind of like you here," he said, holding her tighter.

"I'd like to get down now," she said a bit more firmly.

"But what about those evil spirits?"

"There are no such things as evil spirits. It was a silly medieval superstition."

"You never know, Bones. They could be lurking just around that corner."

"There is no rational reason to believe in any superstition. They're-" Her words were cut off as his lips connected with hers, stopping their movement. Somehow, he managed to maneuver her so that he could support her with one arm and his knee as his other hand reached behind them to close the door. He was still not entirely sure how he accomplished this feat, and if asked to do it again, he would most likely drop her. But luckily she remained firmly in his grasp, and after closing the door, he brought his arm back beneath her and lifted her again, carrying her forward with their lips still locked together. When he reached the bed, he placed her on it, moving with her so that they remained connected. Finally, the need for oxygen forced them apart, and he pulled back, remaining suspended on his elbows above her, breathing heavily. "I love you, Mrs. Booth," he told her breathlessly, smoothing her hair.

"I thought we agreed I wasn't going to take your last name," she pointed out; however, she still wore a lazy smile, so he knew she was not too upset.

"We did. I just like the sound of that. A reminder of the miracle that occurred today."

"There was no miracle today."

"Sure there was. I never thought I'd see the day when Temperance Brennan would actually agree to ignore her beliefs and marry someone. All I can say is that I'm damn lucky that someone was me."

"I wouldn't have anyone else."

"Good." He lowered himself to her again, once more locking their lips together.

Sometime later, they finally decided to leave the bed, for both were hungry. It was nearing midnight, but they managed to find a twenty-four hour drive thru nearby, and they picked up a quick dinner. After eating, Booth suggested a walk on the beach, and the two set out hand-in-hand. As they stepped from the cement pathway onto the sand, Brennan stopped suddenly, remembering her vacations at the beach as a child. Impulsively, she bent over and removed her sandals, a fond smile spreading over her face as she once more felt the cool, smooth sand between her toes. Booth watched her with a bemused expression on his face before bending over to also remove his own sandals. Once both were barefoot, they continued on, strolling slowly toward the water, their shoes swinging in their hands. The air was chilly, but both wore a light jacket which made the weather comfortable. The beach was deserted, partly due to the late hour and partly due to the time of year, but that was fine with the two partners. As far as they were concerned, they could be the only two people in the world.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Booth suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about, Bones?"

"I'm just remembering how my parents used to bring Russ and I to the beach sometimes. Russ loved the waves; he used to try to jump on them and ride them to shore. He convinced me to join him a couple times, but I stopped after a wave pushed me under one time, and I couldn't come up for a few seconds. I thought I was going to drown. But then it passed, and I was okay."

Booth knew her story was alluding to something else, but he could not quite figure out what, so he remained silent, squeezing her hand to show her that he was still listening. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I can't help but think that I've been under that wave since my parents left. No matter how much I struggle, something keeps holding me back. It just feels like something's not right about my life, like something important is missing. Or at least, it felt like that until two years ago when I met you. And now, somehow, I can breath again. Of course, that whole feeling is completely irrational, and I don't understand-"

Booth once more stopped her lips in his favorite way. "Welcome to being in love, Temperance," he told her with a smile. She smiled back, and he grabbed her hand, tugging her away from the water. "Come on," he urged.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, I've always wanted to make love on a beach." In truth, he hadn't _always _wanted to, having always been slightly reserved when it came to sex, but now, with the most beautiful woman in the world by his side, he could not help but fantasize about the experience. Besides, he would never have another chance like the one he currently had.

"Booth, this is a public beach."

He grinned widely. "I know."

"Which means that what you're suggesting is against the law. And I can't imagine that sex on the beach would be all that comfortable."

"Who cares, Bones? It's about the experience. Live a little."

She looked into his pleading eyes and finally sighed. "Okay, fine."

"I knew you'd come around. Come on."

Awhile later, they lay tangled together on the sand, the sweat on their bodies rapidly cooling. Luckily, they still had enough body heat to remain warm. "So, Bones, what did you think?" Booth asked, pressing a kiss to her clavicle.

"It was better than I expected. Certainly not as uncomfortable as I had anticipated." She groaned as he found a sensitive spot, and his tongue began working on that area with renewed vigor. She moved closer to him, running her hands down his bare back as she felt him respond beneath her. With a sly smile, she cupped his ass, and he pulled away to look at her.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?" he questioned.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"In this case, most certainly a good thing?" Leaning forward, he reconnected his lips with hers, and they spent a few minutes kissing leisurely. As his lips began to make their way down her body, Brennan looked over his shoulder and immediately noticed a dim light in the distance.

"Booth!" she said, alarmed.

"Hmm." He continued to press open-mouthed kisses against her skin.

"Booth, stop!" She pulled away from him abruptly.

"What?" he grumbled.

"Look." She pointed behind him, and he turned his head to look. Immediately, he saw the light, too, noticing that it was approaching them.

"Shit!" Quickly, he jumped to his feet and began gathering their clothes, throwing her garments at her as he pulled his own clothes on. The light had grown close enough that Brennan could make out the shadow of a person behind it. She heard a stream of curses still pouring from Booth's mouth as he yanked on his t-shirt and quickly zipped up his jeans. Her own pants and shirt were already on, and she was pulling on her jacket when the owner of the light called out to them.

"What are you folks doing there?" a man's voice asked. Squinting, Brennan could barely make him out. All she could tell was that he was tall and broad-shouldered.

"Just taking a walk, officer," Booth explained nonchalantly.

"At this time?"

"We're night owls," Booth explained.

"Uh huh." The officer approached closer, allowing Brennan to see the badge and uniform that Booth had already noticed. He shone the flashlight in both of their faces, and Brennan blinked, shielding her eyes.

"Hey, was that really necessary?" Booth questioned irritably.

"I get a lot of people out here drinking at night. I just wanted to make sure you two weren't in that crowd."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to look for empty alcohol containers?" Brennan questioned. "Though redness of the eyes is usually a good indication of intoxication, there are a number of other possible causes of such a condition, so you cannot automatically assume that since a person's eyes are red-"

"I think he gets it, Bones," Booth muttered before the cop grew irritated.

"Well, whatever you two were doing, just don't let me catch you doing it again."

"We won't, sir," Booth said before turning and starting back to the hotel, practically dragging Brennan along with him.

Once they were back in their hotel room, Booth turned to Brennan with a smile. "See, Bones, you have to admit that that was a little fun," he said.

"I will concede that there is a certain apprehension of being caught that makes the entire experience unpredictable and therefore enjoyable to some people though I would not want to have such apprehension all the time."

"Which is your way of saying you had fun."

"It was not entirely unpleasant."

"Stick with me, Bones, and I'll definitely show you how to have fun." Grinning, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she responded almost immediately by wrapping her arms around his neck.

After a minute or so, Brennan pulled away and remarked, "I'm not wearing any underwear." A feral smile spread across Booth's face.

"You're a fast learner, Bones," he remarked.

"No, I mean I had underwear on when we decided to go for a walk and now I don't."

Booth suddenly understood. "Well, that will be an interesting find if anyone decides to go treasure hunting on the beach tomorrow," he said with a laugh.

They both slept in the next morning, finally awaking around 11:00. After a long, lazy brunch, they decided to spend the afternoon at the beach. Only a couple other people were around when they walked onto the sand, and they chose a fairly empty spot to lay down their towels. Brennan immediately buried her nose in a journal, and Booth watched her for a few minutes before remarking, "Let's go into the water." Brennan looked up at him.

"It's winter. I'm sure the water's freezing."

"It can't be that bad. It's the beach, and the sun's out."

"The air temperature is still around sixty."

"Fine, Bones." He turned away from her, and she assumed that was his cue that he was finished with the topic. Of course, she should have known better. As soon as her eyes returned to her journal, she felt two strong arms grab her and lift her from the sand. The journal fell from her hands, landing upside down on the sand as she bent her body so that she could punch his torso.

"What are you doing, Booth? Put me down!"

"I will in a minute," he said, carrying her toward the water. As he stepped into the waves, an involuntary shiver traveled up his body from the sudden change in temperature of his feet. "You're right, Bones, it is cold," he remarked.

"Which is why we shouldn't go in."

"I thought you were tough. You mean to tell me you can't handle a little bit of cold?"

"Booth, this is ridiculous."

"Suit yourself. I'll put you down." He tossed her forward, and she landed in the water with a shriek. The sudden cold engulfed her, and it took her limbs a few seconds to start working again. When they did, she pushed herself to the surface and emerged, sputtering, to see Booth standing not too far from her laughing.

"Booth, you. . ." Her words trailed off as she continued sputtering, this time from anger. He simply laughed harder at her inability to talk. With a shout of frustration, she moved forward, slamming her full body weight into him so that he also fell backward into the water. A tussle ensued which lasted until both were shivering so violently that they could barely drag themselves back to shore. As soon as they were there, they wrapped up in their towels and made their way quickly back to the hotel. Booth turned the thermostat in the room all the way up as soon as they entered and then turned to Brennan.

"You know what they say the best way to warm up is, right?" he asked.

"I believe the common suggestion is to have two people wrap up in a sleeping bag together completely naked. It actually would warm you up quite nicely; the sleeping bag would trap the body heat from both people which could-"

"Well, we don't have a sleeping bag, but we do have a bed," Booth interrupted.

"Are you suggesting we strip down and curl up together in the bed?"

"Sounds good to me," Booth agreed, already reaching for his bathing suit. Brennan watched him throw away the shorts before beginning to remove her own suit. As soon as she had discarded her suit, she climbed under the quilt with him, curling up against his muscular body. He put an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. "I have to admit, this is my favorite way to warm up," he remarked.

"You know, before planned parenthood became so prominent, there would be a spike in the birth rate around September and October because couples would be trying to stay warm during the winter months nine months before."

"Fascinating as always, Bones," Booth remarked, smiling.

"There were also spikes nine months after major power outages."

"Hey Bones?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, but right now, I really don't care." And with that, he pulled her against him, letting his lips find hers.

The next day and a half passed quickly for the two partners. They only left their room to eat and for one more walk on the beach (which luckily did not end up cut short by a run-in with a cop this time). All in all, Booth was both happy and sad to step off the plane back in DC. He was certainly looking forward to seeing Parker and Aaron again, but he had greatly enjoyed spending some time with just him and Brennan. Of course, he had the rest of his life to spend time with Brennan now. Just thinking about it made him smile.

As soon as Booth knocked on the door of Angela's apartment, he heard the scurry of little feet, and the door was thrown open to reveal Parker standing there nearly bouncing out of his skin with excitement. "Daddy!" he yelled, throwing himself at his father. Luckily, Booth had been expecting the enthusiastic greeting and caught the small boy easily, swinging him up into the air.

"How's my favorite five-year-old?" Booth questioned.

"Good. But I missed you."

"He did," Angela confirmed, coming from the kitchen with Aaron in her arms. "He's been hovering around the door all day waiting for you two to come home."

"Dr. Bones!" Parker called next, reaching out his arms toward Brennan. Booth transferred the boy to her arms, and she cuddled him to her chest, greeting him much more eagerly than she would have two months before.

"So, how was the beach?" Angela inquired suggestively.

"Good," Booth replied.

"Did you see much of it?"

"We saw enough," Booth said dismissively.

"Sure. I'll be calling you for the details later, Sweetie," she told Brennan.

"Great," Booth said dryly.

"Thanks for watching the boys," Brennan told her friend.

"It was no problem, Sweetie. Those are two great kids you have there."

"We're pretty fond of them," Booth agreed.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at the lab tomorrow. Bye, Sweetie. Bye boys."

"Goodbye, Angela," the group chorused, waving as they left.


	8. Chapter 8

Having never seen a custody trial before, I have to rely on what I've seen in television and movies which I know isn't always accurate. But I figured if they could take creative licenses, I could, too. If there are any gross inaccuracies, just let me know, and I'll do my best to fix them.

* * *

Four weeks later, Booth sat outside the courtroom, fidgeting nervously with his tie. He had testified in countless trials before without the slightest hint of nervousness, but this one was different. This trial would determine his future relationship with his son. If he messed this up, he might never see Parker again.

"Booth, stop fidgeting. You're making the rest of us anxious," Brennan whispered. He turned to see her sitting calmly on the bench beside him, appearing at ease to a casual observer. But he had known her long enough to realize that she, too, was nervous. And Parker, who sat on her other side, was practically bouncing out of his seat with anxiety. Even at five, the small boy could sense that what was about to happen was important, and he had been exceptionally well-behaved that day. Booth only wished he could say the same thing about Aaron. The baby had been fussy all morning, and Booth and Brennan had finally left him with Angela so that they could focus on the trial instead of growing even more jittery because of the crying.

"Sorry, Bones," Booth apologized, turning back to face forward and clasping his hands in his lap. A couple minutes later, the door to the courtroom opened, and one of Booth's lawyers, Kyle, emerged. "You three can come in now," he announced.

"Great." Booth slapped his palms against his thighs and stood up. "Come on, Bub," he said, holding out his hand to Parker. The small boy jumped up from his seat and took his father's hand. Booth placed his free hand on the small of Brennan's back, leading both of them into the courtroom. They took their seats beside the lawyers. The table was overflowing with people, so it took some squeezing before they could sit down, and Parker ended up sitting on Booth's lap since there was no other space for him.

The judge entered the room amidst a scraping of chairs as everyone stood. As soon as the judge was seated, she called the trial to order, and Kyle stepped forward.

It did not take long for Parker to grow bored by the trial. Booth had brought some of his toys to entertain him, and he amused himself by driving his cars over his father's body for a few minutes. Eventually, Booth was called forward to testify, and he passed Parker to Brennan with a promise to return soon before stepping forward. After he was sworn in, Booth turned to Jeff, one of his oldest friends. "Agent Booth," Jeff began, attaching the official title for effect, "you are suing for custody of one Parker Steven Booth. Is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"Can you please explain your reasons for doing so to the court?"

Booth turned to look at the judge, smiling and seeming relaxed. He had testified enough times to know how to best present himself to make people see things his way. "Well, a couple months ago, I was helping Parker with his bath, and I noticed a number of bruises across his torso. I asked him about them, and he wouldn't tell me at first because his mother, Rebecca, had told him not to. Eventually, though, he did confess that Drew had hit him because he had received a new job and wanted to move out there with Parker and Rebecca. When Parker complained about the move, Drew beat him."

"And who is Drew?"

"Rebecca's boyfriend."

"She's still seeing him?"

"Yes. That's why I don't want her to have Parker. As long as she continues to make decisions which endanger my son, I don't want her to have custody of him."

Jeff asked a few more questions before stepping down, allowing Fred, Rebecca's lawyer, to question Booth. "You're an agent with the FBI, are you not?" Fred asked.

"I am," Booth confirmed.

"What kind of hours do you keep with that job?"

"I try to keep reasonable hours. I make sure I'm at the daycare to pick Parker up every day by 4:30."

"And yet when Rebecca had him full-time, you would often have to cancel your weekend plans with the boy because of work."

"That was then. I've changed my priorities now, and Parker is at the top of the list. If I have to do work on the weekends or at night, I wait until Parker is in bed or otherwise occupied."

"Otherwise occupied in what way?"

"Some afternoons, he'll come to the Jeffersonian with me. He knows the curator of the dinosaur exhibit there, so he spends a lot of time there. He also spends a lot of time with the other members of Dr. Brennan's team."

"Is the Jeffersonian really an appropriate place for a young child to spend time?"

"I think it's a great place. He's getting an education you could never get in school. And it's not like we're showing him the more. . . gruesome aspects of our jobs. When he's there, he usually races beetles or plays with the holographic equipment on Angela's computer or looks at stuff in the microscope."

"Your job has a significant amount of danger, does it not, Agent Booth?"

Booth sighed. He had been expecting this question, for he knew it was going to be one of their main attacks of him. "My job does have some danger, yes, but you come across danger every day. You could get hit crossing the street when you're leaving the courtroom today. Does that mean being a lawyer is dangerous?"

"Yes, but as an FBI agent, you make yourself a target. At least as a lawyer, if something like that happens, it's simply a fluke."

"I don't make myself a target. In fact, I try to avoid being the target if possible."

"How many times have you been shot, Agent Booth?"

Booth paused for a moment, thinking. "Probably about a dozen or so."

"You've been shot a dozen times?"

"Most of them were in the army."

"How many times have you been shot while an FBI agent?"

"Four. Shoulder, hand, foot, and thigh. Never anything serious."

"Nothing serious? You don't consider a bullet wound serious?"

"Not if it doesn't pierce any vital organs. None of my wounds put me in any danger of losing my life, so I don't consider them serious."

"If you say so, Agent Booth. On a new topic, what exactly is your relationship with Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

"She's my wife." Booth had been practicing the statement for a month, so it rolled easily off his tongue.

"This is a relatively recent occurrence, is it not?"

"The marriage itself is, yes. But it's been a long time in coming."

"How so?"

"Dr. Brennan and I have been partners for two years. We work well together. We fought a lot at first because we're both very opionated people; you know how it is. But somewhere along the way, we fell in love."

"That's sweet, Agent Booth, but isn't it true that you only began dating recently?"

"It took us awhile to figure things out."

"Forgive me for being presumptuous, but it seems that your marriage occurred at a fairly fortuitous time."

"If you're implying that we only got married because of this trial, you are most certainly being presumptuous, and you're also dead wrong. I love Bones. That's why we got married."

"Bones?"

"Dr. Brennan. It's a nickname."

"It doesn't seem too affectionate."

"You call her sweetie or honey and see if you're still walking straight afterward."

Fred continued to attack Booth's relationship with Brennan for a few more minutes before finally allowing him to step down. Brennan was called to the stand next, and she answered the standard questions from one of Booth's lawyers before Fred received a chance to question her. "Dr. Brennan, if I understand correctly, you are not only a world-renowned forensic anthropologist but also a best-selling author."

"That's correct," Brennan confirmed.

"All that work must take a lot of time."

"A fair amount, yes, but I manage."

"And yet you still have time for Parker and your foster son," he paused to consult his notes, "Aaron."

"I make time for them."

"Dr. Brennan, I have here a transcript from a television interview you did awhile back. In it, you claim not to like children."

"No, I never claimed that. I said that I don't want to bring kids into this world, and that's still true. After all I've seen, I don't want to put a child through all the horrors of the world. But I do enjoy being around children. They have a unique perspective on things that you won't get from anyone else. I love being around Parker; he's really a special boy, and I'm starting to understand why people choose to have children despite the cruelty of the world. The positive aspects of parenthood certainly seem to outweigh the negative consequences."

"You make parenthood sound like some formula. Make a pro-con list and decide from that if you should have a kid."

"Parenthood should be a rational, empirical decision. Too many times, people don't think their decision through well enough, and that's how children end up abandoned and in the foster care system."

"You have a unique perspective on the foster care system, do you not Dr. Brennan?"

"Objection," Jeff said loudly. "What relevance does that have to the case?"

"I'm trying to show that Dr. Brennan's childhood makes her a questionable role model for a small child," Fred said calmly.

"Questionable role model? What-" Booth began, but the judge interrupted.

"Calm down, Agent Booth. I'll allow it for now, Mr. Pratt, but keep in mine that you're toeing the line. Be careful."

"Thank you, Your Honor. Dr. Brennan, can you please answer the question?"

"When I was fifteen, I entered the foster care system," Brennan said quietly.

"And why was that?"

"My parents disappeared." Booth saw her hands knot themselves tighter together, and if he had been allowed to bring his gun into the courtroom, he would have been sorely tempted to shoot Fred for bringing up this sensitive topic.

"And how did that affect you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did you feel about your disappearance?"

"I loved them, and I was fifteen. I was understandably unhappy about it."

"And how do you think that disappearance affects you now?"

"I try not to let it affect me."

"But it does. It makes it harder for you to trust people, to grow close to people."

"Objection!" Jeff called again, more forcefully this time. "Really, he is not qualified to spout off psychobabble. There's no question there."

"Sustained. Careful, Mr. Pratt," the judge warned.

"Dr. Brennan, you mentioned on another television interview that you did not believe in marriage, that it was, and I quote, an 'archaic institution designed to keep women from reaching their full potential.' Now, Dr. Brennan, this interview was only six months ago. That seems like an awfully short period of time for you to completely flip on your opinion of marriage. Can you tell me what brought on the sudden change of heart?"

Brennan was silent, and Booth wondered for a moment if she was going to tell the judge that she had done it for Parker. Brennan's candid nature had a tendency to manifest itself at the most inconvenient times. But when she did speak, her voice was soft again. "Booth," she whispered.

"I'm sorry?"

"Booth brought on the change of heart. I've always been the head person, and Booth's been the heart person. I rely on facts, he relies on gut feelings. It's what makes us work. But the more time I spent around him, the more I realized that relying on facts alone doesn't always work. He helped me to finally realize that science can't explain everything. I know that logically, love should come from endorphins released that tell my brain I'm attracted to a particular person, but there's more to it than that. Endorphins can't account for the fact that I look forward to seeing him every day or that I would willingly give my life for his. I don't really understand it, but I'm pretty sure this feeling is what everybody calls love. Booth's actually the first person I've truly loved since my parents left. And while I don't need a piece of paper to explain that I'm committed to Booth and Parker and Aaron, that piece of paper is important to Booth. Marriage is important to him. And so I figured that after everything he has done for me, I should do him this one small favor."

"So you got married because Booth wanted to?"

"And because I love him." Booth marveled at how she said the words with such confidence. She rarely voiced the sentiment; of course, he expected her reticence. She was not usually very vocal about her feelings. It had taken her awhile to discover and accept the love she felt for him, and now that she had, he was content to hear her say those three words on the rare occasions when he did, for he knew what was in her heart despite what she said aloud.

"But your beliefs on marriage? Have they changed?"

Brennan seemed to mull over the question for a minute. "I believe that marriage is whatever you make it to be. In some cases, it turns into an institution that allows the man to dominate the woman and force her into the ridiculous role as housekeeper and child-rearer that society assumes is the only role which she can take. But I think marriage can be different than that. My marriage certainly has been."

"So you enjoy marriage?"

Brennan looked to Booth, her eyes slowly taking in the features she had grown to love. "Very much so, yes," she answered firmly.

They called Parker to the stand next. There had been some debate over whether or not to allow him to testify since he was only five, but the judge had eventually decided to allow it. Kyle approached the bench first, a wide smile on his face to put Parker at ease. "Relax, Park, we're just going to go through some questions like we did at your house, okay?" Kyle told him. Parker nodded. "Good. So just forget about everyone else here and pretend it's just you and me again." When the small boy gave a second nod, Kyle continued. "So, Parker, can you tell me your full name?"

"Parker Steven Booth," he answered proudly.

"And how old are you?"

"I turned five on December 19. Daddy says I'm lucky that my birthday's so close to Christmas because that means I get lots of presents."

"And did you get lots of presents?"

Parker nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh. Daddy and Dr. Bones got me a new track for my cars, and Daddy helped me set it up with a few of my other tracks so that it went all the way around the living room and even into the kitchen. It was really big. And it went over the couch and around the tv and knocked over a bunch of dominos which hit a cup that made the fan cord pull so the fan turned on and dropped snow over the whole thing. Daddy said it was a rude-gold something machine. It was really cool though. Dr. Bones wasn't too happy that it got snow all over the living room, but Daddy promised that he'd clean it up afterwards, and she said okay after that. She even helped us build part of it in the kitchen so that the cars would jump over a river that was a pan of water."

Kyle was smiling now as was the judge. "And did you get anything else?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, lots of stuff. Daddy got me a new basketball and a hoop; he's been teaching me to play. And I got some clothes from them and Mommy. They're not as much fun, but Daddy and Dr. Bones say I have to wear them. And then I got a couple more cars and some books and a Power Ranger action figure from Daddy and Dr. Bones. And Mommy gave me a spaces shuttle toy. And Zach fixed my robot so it only listens to me now and it does other cool stuff like jump. And Angela painted my new room with a mural that had dinosaurs and outer space and cars and lots of other cool things. And Dr. Jack got me an ant farm and also a book about bugs so that I can figure out which ones are which." He paused for a moment to take a breath. "Oh, and Dr. Lerner, he's the guy who's in charge of the dinosaurs, he got me another book with cool pictures and a stuffed tyrannosaurus."

"Wow, it sounds like you cleaned up."

"Yeah."

"You said your dad was teaching you to play basketball?"

"Uh huh. He played in high school, so he's really good."

"What else does your dad teach you?"

"Lots of stuff. He's really good at sports. Baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, football. He's the assistant coach for my soccer team. And he's also teaching me to read and count and do addition and stuff. He says it's good for me to learn before kindergarten so I can get ahead of the curve. And Dr. Bones helps some with the school stuff." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "She's not that good at sports," he whispered. Kyle chuckled. "Except karate. She can beat Daddy at karate, so she helps me out with that. But she teached me a lot about science, too. I mean taught." He bit his lip. "She taught me that, too. She knows everything."

Kyle chuckled again. "Everything, huh?"

"Uh-huh. She's really smart 'cuz she has like DPH's or something."

"You mean PhD's?"

"Yeah, those. She taught me all the bones in the body. There's 206. Like these are the phalanges. Well, actually, the distal phalages, the middle phalanges, then the proximal phalanges." He pronounced each word slowly, making sure it was correct. "Then the metacarpals, then the carpals which have the-"

"Okay, Parker, I get it," Kyle said with a laugh. "You sure learned a lot didn't you?"

"Uh huh. We practiced on Daddy first, but Bones let me see a real skeleton!"

"Wow. So, Parker, can you tell me what you did last Saturday?"

"We went to the zoo in the morning," he said. "I hadn't been in awhile, and I wanted to see the monkeys; they're my favorite. And then we went home, and I took a nap for a little while. And then Daddy and I went to the park to play soccer. And then I built a cave with Dr. Bones while Daddy made dinner. And we watched _Cars_ from our cave after dinner with popcorn and hot chocolate until it was time for bed."

"And what did you do Sunday?"

"Well, we had to go to church in the morning. And then Dr. Bones had chicken strips and apples and carrot sticks and mac and cheese for lunch for us when we came back. I used to not like carrot sticks, but Dr. Bones says they're good for your eyes and might give me x-ray vision, so I eat them a lot now. And then we all played in the snow for a little bit except Aaron 'cuz he's too little. And then I took a nap, and then I rode my bike around a little bit 'cuz the roads weren't too icy any more, Daddy said. Daddy taught me how to ride two weeks ago, so I can do it without training wheels now. And then we all made cookies except Daddy made a big mess 'cuz he opened the flour wrong and it got everywhere, so everyone looked white like a ghost. Dr. Bones scolded him, but he just stopped her by kissing her. They do that a lot. It's really gross. But Daddy got it cleaned up, and we made the chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, but I wasn't allowed to have any until after dinner. Daddy stole one though; I saw him. Dr. Bones did, too, but he just kissed her again, and she didn't yell at him. I don't really understand them. And then we had dinner. Daddy cooked lasagna. And then Daddy helped me build towers with my blocks, and he and Dr. Bones read to me before bed."

"Parker, if you had to choose to live with either your mom or your dad, who would you live with?" Kyle asked.

"Daddy!" Parker exclaimed immediately. "'Cuz he and Dr. Bones are a lot of fun." His face took on a frown. "And then I wouldn't have to be with Drew."

"Okay. Thank you, Parker, you did really well." Kyle turned to the judge. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Fred next approached the stand. "Do you love your mom?" he questioned.

"Uh-huh, I love her lots."

"And do you miss her?"

"Uh-huh. But Daddy and Dr. Bones say she has some things to work out, things that don't have to do with me. I think they have to do with Drew. Daddy doesn't want me to stay with her again until Drew is gone, and I don't want to, either. I have fun with Daddy and Dr. Bones. He did take me to the diner a couple weeks ago so that I could see her. He stayed to one side, and we had dinner together and talked and it was really cool 'cuz Drew wasn't there."

"But you still want to live with your father?"

"Uh-huh. But I could still see my mommy. But not Drew."

"Parker, do you feel that your dad and Dr. Brennan don't spend a lot of time with you?" Fred asked. Parker shook his head emphatically.

"No, they spend lots of time with me 'specially since I came to live with Daddy. We do something fun every weekend. Sometimes we go to the Jeffersonian, sometimes the zoo, sometimes the capital building. One weekend we went sledding!"

"What about Aaron? Do you like living with Aaron?"

Parker thought for a minute. "He's not so bad. He doesn't do much now, but Daddy and Dr. Bones say that when he gets older, he can play with me which is cool. I've always wanted a little brother to play with. I can teach him soccer and basketball."

"Parker, does your dad fight with Dr. Brennan a lot?"

"Uh-huh, Daddy and Dr. Bones fight _all the time_." Fred smiled triumphantly; this was what he had been looking for, proof that their marriage was a sham. "Except that Dr. Bones says it isn't fighting, it's just bickering. And it's not like regular fighting. Usually, they just end up kissing. I don't know why."

Fred continued to question Parker for a little longer, trying to draw out information about Booth and Brennan's relationship. But Parker's answers quickly made it painfully obvious that Booth and Brennan truly did love each other and him. It was also clear that Parker worshipped his father; anyone could see that in the way that he looked to Booth before answering each question and ran back to his father's arms as soon as the lawyer finished. After Parker, a few more character witnesses were called, including most of the squint squad. The trial drug on, and it was not long before Parker was snoozing gently on his father's chest as Booth ran a hand through his son's blond curls.

At long last, the last witness stepped down from the stand, and the judge retired to his chambers to deliberate. Booth looked to Brennan, and she saw the fear in his eyes. Reaching over, Brennan took the hand not in Parker's hair, squeezing his fingers gently. They spent a few minutes in silence before the judge finally emerged again. "I've made my decision," she announced. Booth's hand tightened on Brennan's. "In the case of Seeley Ryan Booth vs. Rebecca Lorraine Friedman, I award full custody of Parker Steven Booth to Seeley Ryan Booth." Booth resisted the urge to jump up and cheer. Parker stirred in his lap.

"Waz goin' on?" he questioned, his eyes still half-closed with sleep.

"The judge said that you can live with us now, Bub, full time. No one can take you from us." Parker's eyes lit up.

"Cool!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," Booth agreed, still grinning. Turning slightly, he removed his hand from Brennan's and put his other arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He had told her awhile back that there was more than one kind of family, and it seemed he had finally found his.


End file.
